Kwasi Kwarteng, spokesperson for MP Kennedy Agyapong, has disclosed that former President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo has reportedly left the campaign camp of former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking on JoyFM’s TopStory programme monitored by Kumasimail.com, Kwarteng described Akufo-Addo as the “captain of the ship” who once played a pivotal role in Dr. Bawumia’s political rise from introducing him to politics, supporting his vice-presidential nomination, and backing his presidential ambitions.
Yet, according to Kwarteng, Akufo-Addo is no longer part of Dr. Bawumia’s camp.
Kwarteng urged the public to be patient and cautious about the various endorsements circulating in the political arena for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He emphasized that time would ultimately reveal the authenticity and impact of these endorsements.
“If there is any test that has proven to be most consistent, reliable, and efficient all over the world, it is the test of time. I wouldn’t waste too much time on these endorsements. I wish them the best. If they are genuine, time will tell,” Kwarteng said.
He further urged Ghanaians to watch closely as the NPP Presidential election on January 31 approaches, promising that the results would clarify the true strength of these endorsements.
“And whichever way, come watch me on the 31st of January, there will surely be the election. And at the end of the day, we’ll get to know whether or not these endorsements were valid or not.”
Kwarteng painted a picture of significant shifts within the political camp, highlighting several key figures who have distanced themselves from Dr. Bawumia’s campaign.
He emphasized “If you are a camp with numerous broke away from the same camp, recall that of President Akufo-Addo, the captain of the ship, of the Bawumia ship, who introduced him into politics, brought him and made him a vice presidential candidate to the extent of even making him the presidential candidate of the party. Today, he’s no longer in his camp.
Kwarteng continued,” Dr. Bryan Acheampong, someone who was very keen and fit to become the vice-presidential candidate for Dr. Bawumia in the just-ended general election, is now contesting against him. Obviously, he no longer believes in his agenda or vision. My former boss, whom I respect greatly, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, who was very keen and instrumental in last year’s Bawumia campaign, is also no longer supporting him to the extent that he has picked a form and is contesting against him. We have also heard that Mr. Kwabena Agyapong, his chief strategist, intends to contest him as well. And, of course, Mr. Patrick Yaw Boamah, who was also aligned with the Bawumia camp, is now preparing to contest him.”
Kwarteng interpreted these defections as signs of internal unease and political strategy, suggesting that those remaining in the camp are attempting to project strength by overstating their numbers.
“So, I can understand their jitteriness and uneasiness. Of course, as a political response and strategy, you need to respond by creating the impression that you have the numbers,” he stressed.
Addressing claims made by Miracles Aboagye and others about the number of NPP Members of Parliament backing Dr. Bawumia, Kwarteng challenged the figures, pointing to inconsistencies.
He remarked “If Miracles tells me that the numbers he counted were indeed 67, I leave him to his conscience. You mentioned 67, Dr. Bawumia quoted 60, and Ntim Fordjour mentioned 35 at one point and 40 at another. Yet, in the video you brought, if you do a headcount, there were just 26 people. You can tickle yourself and laugh, but there will be a judgment day.”
Kwarteng dismissed the inflated numbers as political posturing and warned that the truth would be revealed on election day.
He noted “The 31st will surely come. This whole issue of influence peddling and creating the impression that you have the numbers…”
Kwarteng criticized the previous party primaries, accusing the Bawumia camp of creating false impressions about their level of support, including claims of backing from nearly half of parliament and all government appointees.
“I repeat, in the last primaries, where you created the impression that you had almost half, nearly the entire parliament. You created the impression that all government appointees were on your side. What impression didn’t you create? You even went ahead and created more impressions. Indeed, you whipped people into line, including virtually all national executives, executives at all levels, constituency executives, regional executives, and even some polling station executives,” he recounted.
He argued that despite these efforts to consolidate power, the party suffered its most humiliating electoral defeat in history.
“You whipped everybody into line. Obviously, you achieved what you wanted. But what was the general outcome? The general outcome is that you led us into the most humiliating electoral defeat our party has ever experienced,” Kwasi Kwarteng added.
Despite the tensions, Kwarteng called for mutual respect and cooperation within the party.
He addressed Miracles Aboagye directly, noting the latter’s frequent disrespect during media interactions but reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining respect as a party member.
“Even though he is often intentionally rude and disrespectful towards me, I will always maintain my posture and show him respect as a party person. After the election and competition, the next step is cooperation. We still need each other to build our party, rescue the country, and capture power in 2028,” Kwarteng concluded.
Source : www.kumasimail.com Kwadwo Owusu
