Opinions of Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Columnist: JA Sarbah

Akufo-Addo has done exceptionally well as President of this Republic

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is Ghana's former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is Ghana's former President

You may hold your political biases - that is your right. But judged fairly, by what he inherited, what he navigated, and what he handed over with the country intact, Ghana must honour Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his lifetime. Great leader.

That said, we must also speak the full truth.

Former President Akufo-Addo nurtured a cancer cell within his own party - the New Patriotic Party. That cell is now metastatic, eating away at the party’s foundation from every direction.

Let me state this clearly, without mincing words:

The waywardness and indiscipline we see today in Kennedy Agyapong did not emerge in a vacuum. It was enabled - partly - by Akufo-Addo’s indulgence.

Kennedy Agyapong was pampered. He was treated as a political pet. He was given access, privilege, financial opportunity, and influence far beyond what any single party member should wield.

Kennedy himself publicly bragged that he vetted and pre-approved government appointees before their names were announced. High-value state contracts - contracts that should have been distributed across constituencies and party interests - were concentrated in his hands.

As a result, Kennedy became richer than he had ever imagined.

And with that wealth came arrogance. Toxic arrogance.

At a point, he forgot that the President stood above him. He challenged Akufo-Addo’s authority - privately and publicly. He threatened party members without restraint. He bullied institutions. He behaved as though he was untouchable.

His open attacks on the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a man who had grown beyond discipline.

Akufo-Addo did not intend harm. But leadership is judged by outcomes, not intentions. The outcome has been catastrophic for the NPP - deep fractures, lost alliances, and open warfare within the party.

By the time Akufo-Addo left office, the state owed Kennedy Agyapong hundreds of millions of cedis in government contracts.

That debt created a dangerous dependency.

Kennedy had no choice but to engage John Mahama’s administration to negotiate payment. And politics, as we know, is never charity.

Terms were set.

What we are witnessing today is not random behaviour. It is transactional politics in motion.

The terms are simple: Cause confusion within the NPP. Fracture the party.

Make it unelectable for the next twelve years. Neutralise every credible threat - especially Bawumia.

In return: protection, payment, and support.

This is not paranoia. This is how power is traded.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the game being played.

And if we do not confront it honestly, the New Patriotic Party will not just lose elections - it will lose its soul.

Let us save the NPP. Let's elect the right candidate on January 31.

Kennedy is not that candidate for the party. Let us save Ghana