Mr Kwabena Agyepong, a former Press Secretary to Ex-President Kufuor, said unity is a must for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if the party wants to return to power in 2016.

He said in order to achieve this unity, the party must adopt practical measures to correct the growing perception of factionalism within the party and move ahead in unity to execute a vigorous campaign message that would convince Ghanaians to endorse the party into power come 2016.

Mr Agyepong said this during an interaction with the media in Wa where he officially announced his intention to contest the position of the General Secretary of the NPP in the party’s next congress.

On the issue of who leads the party in the 2016 General Elections, Mr Agyepong said whoever that emerged the winner should have the magnanimity to unite the party for victory.

He said the party must also take strategic steps towards diffusing the perception that the NPP was an Akan party, adding that how could a party that traced its roots to the United Party (UP) tradition be perceived as a party for the Akan people.

Mr Agyepong said the NPP had over the years done a lot to correct this perception by ensuring that the north was well represented in the party’s leadership positions.

He, however, admitted that more is needed to be done in order to compensate the sacrifices made by the leaders of the UP tradition and also ensure that the erroneous perception was diffused in order to marshal full support for the party in the northern parts of Ghana.

Mr Agyepong said if he became the party’s General Secretary, he would bring on board strategic thinking that would generate strategic ideas capable of addressing those perceptions and speculations.

He said victory eluded the NPP on two occasions due to those perceptions, speculations and disunity, and that it was about time the party woke up and devised measures to correct them to reclaim victory in 2016.

Mr Agyepong became the Communications Director of the Akufo-Addo campaign team during the NPP presidential primaries in 1998 and later played a key role in the national campaign effort for the party’s successful 2000 elections.

He became the Press Secretary to President Kufuor in 2001 until he resigned in May 2006 and became engaged in both national and international assignments for the party and the state.

Born in Kumasi on March 6, 1962, to the late Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong and Mrs Margaret Agyepong, the affable young politician holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering (1986) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Water and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.