The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it will proceed with the full inauguration of its newly constituted sector committees on 25 May, despite growing criticism and internal debate over the composition and timing of the structures.

The party’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, defended the move, insisting the committees were formed in accordance with the NPP’s constitution and long-standing political tradition.

“Last week Thursday, the national elections committee and subsequently the national council met and in line with the party’s constitution… formed the various standing committees of the party,” Kodua said while responding to concerns raised by some party members.

The sector committees, which are expected to advise the party on key policy areas, have attracted criticism from sections of the party following the release of an initial list of committee leads.

Some members questioned why the structures were constituted ahead of the election of a flagbearer, while others raised concerns about representation and consultation.

Kodua rejected the criticism, arguing that recent constitutional amendments within the party required the immediate formation of the committees.

He explained that the initial list released publicly represented only the “leads” of the committees and not their full membership.

“We cannot say that we are waiting for a later date before we constitute these committees,” he said.

“The list that came out on the first day has to do with the leads of the sector committees but not the total membership,” he said.

According to Kodua, the committees are part of efforts to revive the NPP’s policy-driven tradition from the 1990s, when the party relied heavily on expert groups to formulate alternatives to government policies.

“At that time, people referred to the NPP as having the men,” he said.

He added that the committees would include professionals from both inside and outside Parliament and were intended to harness expertise across different sectors of the economy.

The NPP says the committees will become fully operational after the May 25 inauguration as the party positions itself ahead of future national elections.