Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong
The presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party scheduled for November 4, 2023, have come down to four contestants, but realistically, the choice is between Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Assin Central MP, Hon. Ken Ohene Agyapong.
It is no secret that the elite portion of the party constituting the establishment favors the vice president while the grassroots favor the Assin Central MP.
But this clear delineation has been recently thrown into confusion by a developing phenomenon. The notion of Ken Ohene Agyapong's attraction being exclusively centered on the rank and file within the party is being debunked by the springing up of university lecturer groups flocking to the candidacy of the straight-talking MP.
The Legon Lecturers for Ken (LLFP) has attracted membership approaching the hundred mark, as has the KNUST Seniors for Ken, which consists of lecturers and senior staff members.
At press time, similar groups were fast forming at the University of Cape Coast, the University of Education, Winneba, and the University of Developmental Studies in Tamale.
So why would a candidate for president who unabashedly touts his minimal education level massively attract academia while journalists and naysayers continue to raise questions about his presidential suitability?
One KNUST lecturer had a one-word, thought-provoking response: "Altruism."
Defined as "disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others," altruism may be what best characterizes the empathetic, patriotic, and selfless nature of the Assin Central MP.
And according to this KNUST lecturer, this attribute has been adequately projected about Ken Agyapong over a long period of risking his own reputation to fight for the interests of the ordinary Ghanaian.
Another professor asked, "If the grassroots and academia love Ken, where are the haters?" A look at what the haters have in common may best provide a response to this question.