8 versus 1 agenda takes off: Kennedy Agyapong leads attack on Bawumia

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful and Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has launched a scathing attack on Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a leading contender in the flagbearership race, prompting suspicion that he is the one among the eight other aspirants forming an alliance against the Vice President.

Former Energy Minister, Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko had revealed that a group of eight aspirants to the NPP flagbearer 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 according to intelligence picked, has been nominated to lead attacks on Dr Bawumia as campaigns for the position heat up if his current utterances are anything to go by.

“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 GHC 4.00 equivalent when we took power. Today, the dollar is GHC12.00. You think you’re a strategist? Excuse me, strategist! Please!” Kennedy Agyapong said in a speech to party delegates in the Kintampo East Constituency in the Bon East Region recently.

Continuing his veiled attack on Dr Bawumia, he bragged: “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.
“But I pay 7158 workers every month in this country. So between the two of us who is the strategist? This is internal politics and so we shouldn’t be dirty but if they attack me I will reply.

Several polls have put Dr Bawumia ahead of the other nine aspirants in the flagbearership race. Alan Kyeremanten and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong are among the top contenders.

But Dr Bawumia enjoys 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 Nana 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.

Meanwhile, the recent attacks have triggered a massive following for the Vice President who has become the toast of many delegates and is Central Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has launched a scathing attack on Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a leading contender in the flagbearership tipped to top both the special delegates conference as well as the November 4 polls.