The Upper East Regional Director of Communication for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Peter Ayinbisa is calling for sanction against a former flagbearer aspirant of the party Kennedy Agyapong for making comments he believes violate orders of the party.
A May 14 statement signed by the General -Secretary of the NPP barred members from soliciting support for internal elections until nominations are officially opened.
The party explained that “premature engagements not only undermine the authority of the party’s organs but also risk disrupting the careful and strategic efforts currently underway to reposition the party for victory in the 2028 general elections”.
Kennedy Agyapong was, however, seen in videos that emerged on social media last week campaigning against the re-election of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as flagbearer.
He is heard in the videos saying the 2024 presidential candidate of the party performed abysmally in the elections and shouldn’t be given another chance.
The former Assin Central MP argued that although the party has historically given a second chance to candidates, it had always been based on merit and that Dr. Bawumia’s performance in the December 7 elections did not merit a re-election.
He further blamed the party’s defeat on it supposedly ignoring “the church” when it spoke, suggesting that Dr. Bawumia lost the election because of his religious faith as a Muslim.
Peter Ayinbisa considers these comments as a flagrant disregard for the party’s directives and urged leadership to crack the whip.
“The party says that we should halt all those activities. So if we’ve seen somebody gather people, talk to them and begin to say that, ‘which political party worth of its salt would repeat a candidate who lost by almost 2 million votes’, (there should be punitive action).”
The Regional Communications Director said he was surprised that the party’s leadership was yet to take any action, arguing that such conduct if left unchecked could lead to lawlessness and disorderliness in the party.
“I’m surprised that even the videos we saw in some other places, the General Secretary has remained mute about it. We are calling on the General Secretary to be proactive. He should crack the whip because if you have made rules and regulations for your people, and people are flouting those rules and regulations and you keep quiet, it doesn’t make sense. That means that many more people would follow suit.”
He criticised the former MP’s comments against Dr. Bawumia as flawed and called him out for failing to help the party retain his home constituency seat.
“In 2016, when John Mahama lost the elections, that was the first time that a sitting president lost an election by close to 1 million votes. It never happened. As of 2016, that was the narrative because it was the colossal loss that a political party got, particularly a sitting president. But he went home, he’s done his homework well, he’s come back and now winning over 1.5 million votes. So if you say that somebody who has lost by 2 million votes, why should they be give him another opportunity, I don’t get him.”
He added, “He, Kennedy, should be blamed. He should have won his seat before coming to attack anybody.”
