Flagbearer race: I was caged for 10 years in NPP—Kwabena Agyapong

The NPP flagbearer race involves five candidates of the New Patriotic Party: Honorable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, number one on the ballot sheet; Honorable Bryan Acheampong, number two; former Vice President Dr. Mohammadu Bawumia, number three; Honorable Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, number four; and former General Secretary of the NPP, Engineer Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, number five. All the vetted candidates are touring the country to meet New Patriotic Party delegates to seek their support and votes to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.

Kwabena Agyei Agyapong speaks on the NPP flagbearer race

Engineer Kwabena Agyei Agyapong believes he is the most winnable candidate to secure victory for the New Patriotic Party in the 2028 elections, but he says he cannot afford to pay large sums of money to delegates to sway their votes.

Kwabena Agyei Agyapong speaks on the NPP flagbearer race

He said, “Ten years have caged me. I wish to invite all polling station executives, but I am unable to cover their expenses. Atwima Mponua alone has about 200 polling stations; if I were to call all of you, it would be 1000 and over, and the minimum amount expected is GH¢100,000, which I cannot afford. I don’t have such an amount, and I don’t have that money. That is why I invited only the polling station chairmen to send my message to their people.”

According to him, the NPP is not a money party. He stated that he has been part of the party since its establishment and that this is not how the party was built. He explained that the party was built through hard work and rewarding people who served diligently. However, today, people are saying Kwabena Agyapong is capable of leading, but he does not have money.

He added, “I saw Dr. Mohammadu Bawumia join the party when he was not rich. Prof. Adu Boahen was a teacher and not rich. My former boss, John Agyekum Kuffour, was a lawyer and not rich. Akufo-Addo was also not rich. If money were the key factor, J.A. Addison would have led the party in 1992 because he was the richest businessman in the party. No single person has solely financed the party. Ignore those who claim they are the only financiers. If you vote for me, Ghanaians will support me to mobilize funds for the campaign to win the 2028 elections.”

The New Patriotic Party continues to prepare for its internal elections ahead of the 2028 general elections. According to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the party remains committed to democratic internal processes https://npp.org.gh

By Nana Boateng