Stephen Ayensu Ntim, the National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has taken a break from the party’s ongoing post-election nationwide thank-you tour.
The break was announced in a statement dated May 1 and signed by the party’s National Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah.
According to the statement, the break—described as brief—is to allow the Chairman to attend to pressing matters, after which he will rejoin the tour.
“The New Patriotic Party wishes to inform all members and the public that the national chairman has taken a short break from the ongoing nationwide ‘Thank You’ tour to attend to some pressing matters,” the statement said in part.
It added, “The national chairman remains fully committed to the tour and will rejoin the team in due course. The party appreciates all members’ continued support, enthusiasm, unwavering commitment, and cooperation.”
The opposition party, led by its national executives and 2024 flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is currently touring the country to connect with its base and engage Ghanaians following its electoral defeat.
The tour, which began on Saturday, April 26, is expected to end on June 4 in the Central Region.
However, the ongoing roadshow has turned into a platform for infighting. What was meant to be a moment of party unity and gratitude turned tense in Berekum on Monday, as Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s national thank-you tour was briefly overshadowed by sharp disagreements between senior members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe (commonly known as Abronye), clashed publicly over how the party should move forward following its performance in the 2024 general elections.
The confrontation revealed not only differences in leadership style and priorities but also deeper concerns about the state of party discipline and regional neglect.
In his welcome remarks, Abronye took a hardline stance on party loyalty and discipline, subtly criticising members he accused of contributing to the NPP’s electoral struggles through divisive public commentary.
Kennedy Agyapong, in response, strongly defended his position on reconciliation, insisting that inclusiveness—not exclusion—would strengthen the party ahead of future elections. “Even poor people want to speak their mind—how much more those of us who have sacrificed for this party?” he asked pointedly, drawing mixed reactions from the crowd.
That didn’t end there. Just Tuesday evening, a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, affiliated with Unity Hall (Conti), was hospitalised after he was stabbed multiple times during an altercation at a “Thank You” tour event of the New Patriotic Party in the Ashanti Region.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at the Bantama Pentecost Church, where the event was held. The victim was part of the Jama Group from Unity Hall, which had been hired by the camp of former Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, to help make the event lively.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has withdrawn from the party’s “Thank You” tour with immediate effect.
Mr Agyapong announced the decision when the tour arrived in Kumasi. This, he said was because of some disagreements and violence during the ongoing tour.
