Former presidential aspirant and Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has made a passionate appeal to former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, to abandon threats against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and join efforts to rebuild the party, ahead of the 2028 general elections.
His intervention comes amid growing tensions within the opposition NPP, following recent comments by Kennedy Agyapong, who reportedly threatened action against the party and some individuals, over events surrounding the party’s presidential primary.
“So, I appeal to Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, to his supporters and to mine, let us lay down the weapons of internal warfare. Action the verb UNITY,” Dr. Acheampong declared in a statement issued on Thursday.
The former Minister for Food and Agriculture warned that continued infighting within the party would only benefit their political opponents and weaken the NPP’s chances of returning to power in 2028.
Dr. Acheampong, who contested in the NPP’s presidential primary but lost to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, said he understands the disappointment and emotions that accompany electoral defeat, making him well-placed to speak on the current tensions.
“I speak to you today not as a bystander to our recent contest, but as one who stood in it,” he stated.
According to him, the NPP’s painful defeat in the 2024 general election should serve as a reminder that rebuilding party unity must take precedence over personal disputes and factional battles.
“Our party suffered a painful defeat in 2024. The single most important task before us, between now and 2028 is to rebuild, to reunite and to return to power,” he stressed.
Dr. Acheampong acknowledged that Kennedy Agyapong’s frustrations were genuine and stemmed from insults and attacks directed at him by some supporters of rival camps during and after the presidential contest.
He admitted that some individuals associated with both Dr. Bawumia’s campaign and his own campaign engaged in conducts that were disrespectful towards the former Assin Central Legislator.
“Let me be candid about the source of his hurt, because it is real,” he noted.
However, the former presidential aspirant argued that there was no evidence linking Dr. Bawumia directly to the attacks and cautioned against blaming the NPP flagbearer for the actions of individual supporters.
“There is no evidence that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia commissioned, directed or endorsed those attacks,” he stated.
Dr. Acheampong further observed that heated exchanges were not one-sided, noting that harsh words were exchanged by individuals across the various camps during the contest.
He, therefore, called for reconciliation and forgiveness among all parties, insisting that genuine healing would require everyone to move beyond past grievances.
“My hope is simply that all of us, those who wounded Ken, and Ken himself, might find the grace to make peace, without anyone waiting for the other to move first,” he said.
The Abetifi MP emphasised that the focus of party members should now be on supporting Dr. Bawumia as the party’s chosen candidate, rather than allowing personal disagreements to derail the NPP’s political future.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia’s mandate extends beyond those who voted for him in the primary and includes supporters of all the candidates who participated in the race. “Dr. Bawumia is now the candidate of all of us,” he declared.
He concluded by urging party faithful to close ranks behind the flagbearer and work towards recapturing power in the next general election.
