Ken Agyapong leads attacks On Bawumia

FREE-SPIRITED politician Kennedy Agyapong, campaigning to be elected the 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has suggested that the handling of Ghana’s economy with Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia as Chair of the Economic Management Team (EMT) is abysmal and evidence that the failed leader lacks strategy.

Falling short of explicitly mentioning the name of Dr. Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong was categorical that whoever leads the EMT cannot be the strategist he claims to be:

“They go about claiming to be strategists. Strategist is what has brought us here today. Ghana is the only place that those who send the country to IMF claim to be strategists…For someone who claims to be a strategist; the Dollar was Four Cedis equivalent when we took power. Today, the Dollar is Twelve Cedis. You think you are a strategist? Excuse me, strategist! Please!” Kennedy Agyapong told party delegates in the Kintampo East Constituency on Sunday July 16.

He continued: “In March 2022, I had 40 million Dollars in Cedi equivalent, in August  2022 the value of the 40 million Dollars has dropped to 16 million.

“With my Steel Plant, I am employing thousands of workers in this country by the next few months, I have the biggest Cold Store in the whole of Africa, as for you, the government pays you, pays your house girls, pays your security, you are living in Government bungalows.”

These attacks from Kennedy comes not long after a revelation from  a former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko that a group of eight aspirants to the NPP  flag-bearer position, of which he is part, are united in opposition to  Dr Bawumia’s bid and would not support him should there be a runoff involving him and another.

Kennedy, if his recent utterances are anything to go my, seemed to have been nominated, or self nominated himself to lead the attacks on Dr Bawumia as campaigns for the position heats up.

Several polls have put Dr Bawumia ahead of the other nine aspirants in the flag-bearer race.

Alan Kyeremanten and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong are among the top contenders.

Dr Bawumia, however, enjoys an overwhelming support from the rank and file of the party especially from the Ashanti Region considered the party’s World Bank.

The Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye-led vetting committee last week cleared all 10 presidential aspirants who filed their nomination forms for the special Electoral College election.

The ten aspirants are Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen,  Kwadwo Poku, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Boakye Agyarko, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Joe Ghartey and Francis Addai-Nimoh.

Others include Boakye Agarko. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Addai-Nimoh Francis, Joe Ghartey and Dr. Konadu Apreku.

To comply with the party’s constitution, which mandates narrowing down the contestants to five, a special congress is likely to be convened in August.

This congress will serve the purpose of reducing the number of contenders and preparing for the subsequent Presidential primaries in November.

According to Article 13 (9) of the party’s constitution, a Special Electoral College will play a pivotal role in this process.

The Electoral College will comprise the National Council, National Executive Committee, Regional Executive Committees, National Council of Elders, Members of Parliament from the NPP, representatives from special party organs, past national officers, representatives from external branches, founding members who registered the party, and party card-bearing Ministers.