Former Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Adomako Baafi, has criticized Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central and NPP flagbearer hopeful, for his recent attacks on Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also vying for the NPP flagbearer position.
According to him, Kennedy Agyapong's actions stem from hatred and envy towards the Vice President.
Speaking in an interview with Wontumi TV on July 17, 2023, Baafi pointed out that due to Kennedy’s bid for power, he has withdrawn all his previous praises and launched an attack on Dr. Bawumia.
He added that he can recall instances where Kennedy Agyapong spoke highly of the Vice President as an exceptional individual but because of his ambitions, he has shifted his stance is now making derogatory remarks about Dr. Bawumia.
"Everyone should go to GhanaWeb and see what Kennedy Agyapong was saying about Dr. Bawumia before, that he is the best person, but because you're contesting with him and based on greed, you are saying all these things, I won't waste my time on you. But the most important thing is that Bawumia is human, so no matter what, he might have some fault."
He added “…since 2007 when Bawumia joined the party, I was with my brother Kennedy Agyapong at that time, so I am very careful to speak against him but the point is that when Bawumia set 175 questions for Amissah Arthur I was sitting with him in his station and he was saying Bawumia as intelligent but today he is not right?
"When we went to the Supreme Court and Bawumia was defending (the election petition) he was like; 'what! this man is intelligent' but now because of power, you are downgrading him, if you will remember when we were bringing Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong was the only person who spoke against it so he is revisiting his hatred against him.”
Kennedy Agyapong criticised the vice president calling out his own administration for the handling of the Ghanaian economy which is currently under an IMF-supported programme.
According to him, the depreciation of the local currency against the dollar has significantly impacted on businesses and livelihoods at large.
Addressing party delegates at Kintampo in the Bono East region, the Assin Central lawmaker recounted that in March 2022, he possessed $40 million in cedi equivalent which later declined in value to about $16 million in August that same year due to the cedi’s depreciation.
While he did not mention the name of the Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, it became evident that Kennedy Agyapong was directing his criticisms to the Head of the Economic Management Team of government.
“We will have issues if we don’t do a clean campaign because I will reply to every claim made against me. You call yourself a strategist but when we were taking over power, the Dollar was 4 cedis, today one dollar is 12 cedis and yet you call yourself a strategist,” Ken Agyapong said.
The NPP on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, approved all ten candidates who filed to contest the flagbearership race.
The ten including Kennedy Agyapong, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen will be subjected to a super delegates congress where the number will be reduced to five before the party’s main congress on November 4, 2023.
The other contenders in the race are former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Joe Ghartey, a businessman and energy expert Kwadwo Poku, a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko.
Completing the list are a former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, a former Minister of State, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
AM/SARA
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