The hallowed chronicles of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the journey to presidential glory has never been a one-touch affair. Since 1992, the party has endured a learning curve, tested by electoral defeats, internal wranglings, and moments of soul-searching. It took President John Agyekum Kufuor two attempts — losing in 1996 before clinching victory in 2000. Similarly, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo battled through three general elections (2008, 2012, and 2016) before finally hoisting the flag of victory. Yet amidst this historical truth, one Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has risen to cast dust into the wind of reason, attempting to scapegoat Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia with a juvenile analysis of electoral figures. “The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance,” warned political scientist Daniel J. Boorstin — and Kennedy embodies both in one breath.
His claim that Dr. Bawumia “lost over 2 million votes” and should therefore be disqualified from another shot at leadership reeks of either deliberate mischief or intellectual laziness. The numbers he tosses about like confetti are stripped of context — a glaring betrayal of political illiteracy or malicious intent. Elections are not held in vacuums; they are influenced by macroeconomic conditions, regional dynamics, incumbency fatigue, global crises, and even voter turnout fluctuations. If Kennedy’s yardstick were valid, then both Kufuor and Akufo-Addo should never have been re-offered after their initial losses.
Indeed, the political arena is not for sore losers turned prophets of doom. Kennedy’s bitterness flows like venom, not out of principle but out of bruised ego and naked greed. During the 2024 campaign trail, he was more of an albatross around the party’s neck than a lifter of its fortunes. His unguarded statements, refusal to properly campaign, and strategic silence while others carried the burden of defense and mobilization reveal a man who was praying — not for victory — but for defeat, so that he could jump from the shadows to say “I told you so.” That, fellow patriots, is not leadership; that is sabotage in political regalia.
“The test of a first-rate intelligence,” said F. Scott Fitzgerald, “is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Kennedy’s political tantrums show the opposite — a poor grasp of electoral dynamics coupled with an emotional immaturity unworthy of a presidential hopeful. His inability to win his own parliamentary seat in Assin Central should be a sobering reminder that charisma without emotional intelligence is like a car with no engine: loud, decorated, and going nowhere.
Even in our darkest electoral seasons, no internal contender has attacked the party’s own with the ferocity and bitterness that Kennedy has. Not in Kufuor’s time. Not in Akufo-Addo’s era. Internal competition is healthy when anchored on policy and vision — not when it becomes a sewer of insults, threats, and scorched-earth tactics. His conduct reeks of an inferiority complex laced with the need to remain politically relevant, even if it means dancing on the grave of party unity.
To suggest that Bawumia, the man who championed digitization, anchored the gold-for-oil policy, and served loyally as Vice President, should be cast aside due to a drop in votes — while Kennedy, the absentee MP with no national campaign legacy, should be considered, is the political equivalent of calling a mosquito an eagle. It is not just ridiculous; it is offensive to the intelligence of the party base. The NPP must be guided by reason, not the bitterness of men seeking validation through chaos.
Let the grassroots not be hoodwinked by this well-packaged bile. Kennedy’s utterances are not born of patriotism; they are born of a wounded pride that refuses to accept that leadership requires more than loudness. His anti-party posture in 2024 was not accidental — it was calculated. Hey wanted the NPP to fail so he could become the messianic option. That alone disqualifies him. “He who does not weep with the party when it bleeds has no right to laugh when it heals.”
No political scientist worth his chalkboard would endorse Kennedy’s argument. As Dr. Larry Diamond once noted, “Democracy is not about the perfection of outcomes, but the fairness of process and the perseverance of hope.” If perseverance counted for nothing, then Kufuor and Akufo-Addo would have been history long before they made it. Bawumia deserves the opportunity to refine his strategy, rebuild the trust of the electorate, and recontest with dignity. That is what mature democracies do.
It is time Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is told, in no uncertain terms, to hold the crap. His comment is not only divisive; it is a betrayal of the party’s tradition of loyalty, patience, and constructive criticism. This is the same party that gave him a platform to become rich and relevant. His behavior now is akin to biting the hand that fed him — a Shakespearean tragedy of ingratitude and narcissism.
Let the record reflect that while Kennedy was sulking, Dr. Bawumia was sweating — campaigning across the length and breadth of the country, uniting factions, defending government policy, and keeping the NPP’s hope alive. The party must learn from its history, not from those who distort it to massage their egos. As the Akan proverb goes, “Se wo werɛ fi na wosankɔfa a, yenkyi.” — “It is not wrong to go back and reclaim what you forgot.” Let us reclaim our sense of reason, and reject the petty bitterness masquerading as political insight. The NPP must move forward — not with angry men, but with visionary minds.
By:
Zakari GUA JNR ( Scorpio 🦂)
