Prof. Dr. Dr. Ochtere Addai Mensah has defended the election of Kwadwo Boadu, popularly known as Bamba, as First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), arguing that political competence should not be measured solely by academic qualifications.
According to him, the mockery directed at Bamba over his educational background exposes what he describes as an unhealthy prejudice that political leadership must be validated by university credentials.
Prof. Addai Mensah said the NPP is a political organisation, not an academic institution, and the role of a First Vice Chairman requires political organisation, mobilisation, strategy, coordination and effective delivery.
He argued that if delegates assessed the candidates and concluded that Bamba was the best person to perform the role, his lack of a university degree should not invalidate their decision.
“Politics has never been a contest in which certificates alone produce results,” he said.
Prof. Addai Mensah noted that Ghana’s political history contains several influential figures whose impact was built through organising people, understanding communities, developing relationships, taking risks and delivering under pressure.
“These are skills that cannot always be acquired in a lecture hall,” he added.
He further pointed out that Bamba did not appoint himself to the position but was elected by delegates who participated in the party’s internal democratic process.
Rather than asking where Bamba’s university degree is, Prof. Addai Mensah said critics should be asking what the delegates saw in him that influenced their decision.
“Perhaps they saw something increasingly important in modern political competition: practical political competence,” he stated.
According to him, the NPP has the right to evolve from a political party where leadership credentials are judged partly by social status and educational pedigree to one that places greater emphasis on political effectiveness.
He said this could become particularly important ahead of the 2028 general elections, where political organisation and grassroots mobilisation are expected to play a critical role.
Prof. Addai Mensah, however, stressed that Bamba’s election should now be followed by performance.
He said the new First Vice Chairman must demonstrate that the confidence placed in him by delegates was justified by organising and mobilising the party, promoting unity, managing political pressure and contributing meaningfully to the NPP’s preparations for the 2028 elections.
“If he fails, critics will have their evidence. If he succeeds, the ‘no university degree’ argument will be exposed for what it always was: an argument from prejudice rather than performance,” he argued.
Prof. Addai Mensah concluded that the decision of NPP delegates at the ballot should carry greater weight than criticism from people who merely observed the process from outside.
“The NPP has elected a politician, not a professor. Now let the man work.”
