Former President William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s candidature for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2028 presidential elections.
This, according to Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy, a stalwart of the party, is due to certain comments made by Dr. Bawumia during the party’s ‘Thank You’ tour, suggesting a rift between the former President and his Vice.
During the NPP’s tour, the former Vice President revealed that he had advised against several unpopular decisions taken by the then administration, but his counsel was ignored.
According to Dr. Bawumia, he was particularly surprised when fuel prices were increased just days before the elections, leading him to question whether the intention was to help the party win or lose the polls.
According to Dr. Kennedy, this development suggests that former President Akufo-Addo will not support Dr. Bawumia if he decides to contest for the NPP’s 2028 flag bearer position.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Thursday, May 1, 2025, Dr. Kennedy, a 2007 flag bearer aspirant of the NPP, stated that Akufo-Addo and Bawumia have apparently fallen out.
When asked by host Alfred Ocansey, “Are you saying on record that Nana Akufo-Addo is not supporting Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia anymore, should he decide to contest the flag bearer in 2028?” Dr. Kennedy responded, “Yes, I am.”
Pressed for details on how he knew this information, Dr. Kennedy said, “I can’t tell you that, but if it is not correct, whoever is in the know can correct me and as events unfold, we will see whether what I have just told you is true.”
Regarding the reasons behind the apparent rift between the former President and Vice President, Dr. Kennedy stated, “Out of respect to the former President, I will let him lay out his reasoning himself when he’s ready.”
“That is correct,” he reiterated when asked if he still stood by his earlier assertion after refusing to disclose his source(s) and reasons accounting for the development.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kennedy has called for the halting of the ‘Thank You’ tour which was aimed at bringing unity to the party but has led to something else.
The party launched the ‘Thank You’ tour in the wake of its election loss, aiming to engage with supporters across the country. However, tensions within the party have escalated in recent weeks, with some members openly expressing dissatisfaction over the handling of the post-election period.
But the tour has turned bloody, with alleged supporters from one camp stabbing another amid heated exchanges that have characterized the exercise since its inception.
These developments led to the withdrawal of Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a 2024 flag bearer aspirant of the party, who cited concerns over supporter safety following the stabbing incident.
Prior to Dr. Kennedy’s call, a senior figure in the party, Boakye Kyerematen Agyarko, had already raised concerns and warned that the tour was veering off course and risking further divisions within the party.
In a statement issued on Sunday, April 27, 2025, Agyarko said the initiative, originally designed to reconnect with grassroots supporters and restore the NPP’s public image following its 2024 election defeat, was instead being overshadowed by internal discord and blame-shifting.
“What was intended to restore our party’s shine and reconnect us with the grassroots is instead unraveling into bouts of discord, blame-shifting, and internal strife,” Agyarko said.
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