…Wants votes in return
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2024 flagbearer race is heating up by the day with the ten aspirants in the contest, projecting themselves, as well as throwing jabs at each other.
But one of them, who seem to have devised guerilla tactics for his campaign, is Kennedy Agyapong and is combining it with a dose of anger.
He has deployed threats, emotional blackmail and others to annex the NPP 2024 flagbearer slot slated for November, this year.
Many polls, have put him at number three after Vice President Bawumia and former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, but the man whom many had predicted was going to drop after testing the waters, is so much in the race and committed to the fight like everyone else with a strategy.
He has many times served notice to go dirty if any of the aspirants or their agents provokes him into a brawl. Interestingly, his jabs have often landed on the Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia. At one instance, he jabbed Dr Bawumia for failing to properly manage the economy, leading to its collapse.
On many of his few campaign stops across the country, he has been telling NPP delegates that he has been in the NPP for years and been serving as an MP in the last 21 years, and in all these years, he has given out huge sums to finance the party’s activities.
He has also been talking about his donations of pickup vehicles to support the party’s election campaigns in various constituencies across the country.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in the Central Region, has also talked about his donations of used clothes known in local parlance as “Obroni wa wu” to be shared in the various constituencies, especially the Western Region.
He at one instance mentioned another presidential aspirant, Joe Ghartey, as having taken delivery of bales of the secondhand clothes for distribution in the Western Region.
Mr Agyapong, has insisted he has done so much for the NPP, than any of the aspirants.
On the issue of the threat, he mentioned that there will be consequences if somebody like him is not elected by the NPP delegates to lead them as their flagbearer in 2024.
He had also on some occasions, claimed that despite his sacrifices for the ruling party, he has not been adequately rewarded by any of the NPP governments; Kufuor administration and that of Akufo-Addo.
But his claims of neglect have been shot down by some senior members of the NPP, including Adomako Baafi and Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Mensah, over his criticism of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
One of them called him a liar, as he had gotten more than he deserved since the Kufuor era.
The Assin Central MP during a campaign tour in Kintampo, took a swipe at the Vice President, accusing him of taking Ghana’s economy to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after bragging and describing himself as a strategist.
Unhappy with the jabs directed at Dr Bawumia, Western Regional Minister, had argued that Mr Agyapong, was behaving like a greedy person.
Speaking in an interview with Radio 360, the Minister said the Assin Central MP was quiet when he enjoyed government contracts during the COVID period when times were tough.
Kwabena Okyere Mensah is appalled that now that Ken Agyapong is vying for the flagbearer position in the NPP, he wants to point fingers and accuse the Vice President of failing.
“Sometimes you encounter an accident in life; Ghana is a member of the IMF and they have given us some assistance during Covid. Since Ghana went to the IMF the cedi is stabilizing. What intrigues me however is, between you and I, we all know one of the biggest government contractors is the man you are talking about [Kennedy Agyapong].
“When things were bad and he was benefitting, that was right, but now that he wants to be a Presidential candidate, he has forgotten about all those benefits he derived and wants us to forget about all that?” Kwabena Okyere Mensah wondered.
The Western Regional Minister continued, “Then he should reverse (SIC) all those contracts he earned and hand it to others and say because Ghana is now back to the IMF, I will not take any government contract again.
“If he continues like that then technically you want to act like a greedy person who wants to benefit both ways.” Going forward, Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Mensah urged all flagbearer aspirants to do a clean campaign instead of attacking one another in the race.
But Mr Agyapong, in reply maintains that the Vice President is not an economic strategist for not having found a solution to the country’s economic crisis.
The Assin Central MP, as part of his campaign tour in Kintampo East in the Bono East Region on Sunday, July 16, hit hard at Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, saying: “You call yourself a strategist but when we were taking over power the Dollar was GH¢4, today $1 is GH¢12 and yet you call yourself a strategist.
“In March 2022, I had $40 million in Cedi equivalent, in August 2022 the value of the $40 million had dropped to $16 million.”
But this did not go down well with some party faithfuls, especially Dr Bawumia’s supporters, who took the lawmaker on, referring him to praises he had showered on the Vice President in the aftermath of the global pandemic.
In a statement issued by his communications team thereafter in response to the latest criticisms, the Board Chairman of Ghana National Gas Company, says he believes he can do better and that is why he is in the race to lead the ruling party.
“Those who do not believe they can do better should exit the race,” the statement dated Wednesday, July 19 said.
It stressed that “straight-talking Ken Agyapong offers a different, business-like approach to managing the economy based upon a better leveraging of Ghana’s own resources – domestic and overseas.
“Regarding Hon. Ken Agyapong’s previous endorsement of the Vice President and his recent criticism, it only shows that he will consistently be truthful and honest with his assessment of others and give praise or criticism when and where they are due.”
The statement also took on the Western Region Minister, for calling him greedy as he holds several appointments in the Akufo-Addo-led government.
“If holding multiple responsibilities is bad, the Takoradi MP should leave his Regional Minister position for someone else and concentrate on being an MP.
“Ken Agyapong keeps the proceeds in Ghana to open businesses that employ the youth. If all winners of government contracts did the same, Ghana’s youth would find jobs.”
Former Communication Director for the NPP, Yaw Adomako Baafi, has also criticized Mr. Agyapong for his recent attacks on the Vice President saying his actions stem from hatred and envy towards the Vice President.
Speaking in an interview with Wontumi TV on July 17, 2023, Baafi pointed out that due to Kennedy’s bid for power, he had withdrawn all his previous praises and launched an attack on Dr. Bawumia.
He added that he can recall instances where Kennedy Agyapong spoke highly of the Vice President as an exceptional individual but because of his ambitions, he has shifted his stance and is now making derogatory remarks about Dr. Bawumia.
“Everyone should go to GhanaWeb and see what Kennedy Agyapong was saying about Dr Bawumia before, that he is the best person, but because you’re contesting with him and based on greed, you are saying all these things, I won’t waste my time on you. But the most important thing is that Bawumia is human, so no matter what, he might have some faults.”
He added “…since 2007 when Bawumia joined the party, I was with my brother Kennedy Agyapong at that time, so I am very careful to speak against him but the point is that when Bawumia set 175 questions for Amissah Arthur I was sitting with him in his station and he was saying Bawumia as intelligent but today he is not right?
“When we went to the Supreme Court and Bawumia was defending (the election petition) he was like; ‘what! This man is intelligent’ but now because of power, you are downgrading him, if you will remember when we were bringing Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong was the only person who spoke against it so he is revisiting his hatred against him.”
The ten including Kennedy Agyapong, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen will be subjected to a super delegates congress where the number will be reduced to five before the party’s main congress on November 4, 2023.
The other contenders in the race are former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Joe Ghartey, a businessman and energy expert Kwadwo Poku, and former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko.
Completing the list are a former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, a former Minister of State, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
