Stephen Ntim has officially stepped down as the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) due to urgent health concerns.
In a letter dated June 16, his family requested a temporary leave of absence, citing serious issues such as “cognitive dissonance and mental incapacitation.
” The family, including Kingsley Oteng and MP Adelaide Ntim, emphasized the need for Mr. Ntim to abstain from political activities, especially an upcoming leadership meeting he was scheduled to chair today June 17.
They expressed that continued participation would jeopardize his health.
The letter highlighted his long-standing commitment to the NPP while urging the leadership to prioritize his medical needs.
After 20 years of disappointments, heartbreaks and, as he himself put it, “wandering in the political wilderness”, Stephen Ayesu Ntim was finally elected the National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2022.
In 2005, 2010, 2014 and 2018 , he lost narrowly to Mac Manu ,Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey, Paul Afoko and Freddie Blay respectively.
Mr Ntim, won it on the fifth attempt with 4,014 votes, beating his closest competitor, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, by a whopping 3,004 votes.
A former First Vice-Chairman of the NPP, Mr Ntim had been yearning to accede to the topmost position in the NPP for the past 20 years, after being elected promised to ensure victory for the NPP in 2024 election .
“The new national executives will work assiduously for the party to win Election 2024, in conjunction with our Members of Parliament and members in the Diaspora,” he told the gathering, which included President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia,He told the party followers.
The NPP under his chairmanship suffered its biggest electoral defeat in history.
A 12-member committee was established to examine the factors behind the NPP’s loss of both the presidency and its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections.
The NPP has yet to provide an official response to the family’s letter.
In the meantime, Danquah Smith Buttey, the First Vice Chairman, will assume the role of acting Chairman as outlined in the party’s constitution.