NPP is for all social classes, not just the middle class – Mike Oquaye

Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has rejected the view that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primarily represents middle-class interests, saying its social interventions serve Ghanaians across different economic backgrounds. Speaking in an interview on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, 5 October, he argued that the party’s policies demonstrated its commitment to both middle- and lower-income groups. “So if we talk about middle class, lower class, we are the party for all classes,” he said.

“We are the party which satisfies all social groups.” Prof Oquaye was responding to questions about the NPP’s appeal to middle-class voters following its defeat in the 2024 general election. He pointed to health insurance, free secondary education and school feeding as examples of interventions through which NPP administrations had addressed the needs of different sections of society. “And we have been able to take care of people by all our social interventions,” he stated.

Prof Oquaye maintained that support for lower-income households was central to the party’s approach, arguing that its record should inform how Ghanaians assess its political identity. He also highlighted the benefits of access to secondary education for girls, saying some beneficiaries had progressed to university and excelled in their examinations. According to him, these interventions illustrated why the NPP should be viewed as a party serving people across the social spectrum.

Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has rejected suggestions that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) needs a leader specifically capable of winning back Ghana’s middle class. He said the NPP should not be viewed as a party for only the middle class, saying that the party’s policies and social interventions have historically targeted people across different social groups. Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Monday, October 5, Professor Oquaye was asked whether the NPP’s decision to elect John Boadu as chairman would help the party reconnect with the middle class.

The question followed arguments that the NPP had traditionally enjoyed stronger support among the middle class but lost some of that support after the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, which critics said contributed to the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election. Some party supporters had therefore suggested that candidates such as Boakye Agyarko or Paul Afoko could have been better placed to lead the party back to the middle class. Professor Oquaye, however, dismissed the distinction between the middle and lower classes when assessing the NPP’s political appeal.

“Middle class, lower class, that is the party of the NPP,” he said. He said that the NPP had a strong record of introducing social intervention programmes aimed at improving the lives of ordinary Ghanaians. “You realise that social intervention politics in Ghana belong to NPP,” Professor Oquaye said.