Former Energy Minister John Peter Amewu and Member of Parliament Kojo Oppong Nkrumah have emerged as prominent voices for opposing candidates as the New Patriotic Party prepares for its presidential primaries scheduled for Saturday, January 31, intensifying endorsement battles less than two weeks before 214,812 delegates head to 277 voting centers nationwide.
Amewu declared support for businessman and former Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, citing what he describes as overwhelming public demand for the candidate. Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Amewu emphasized that his decision stems from interactions with ordinary Ghanaians across different sectors.
“I have listened to the ground,” he said. “I have listened to the taxi drivers. I have listened to the market women. I’ve gone to the hospital. I listened to the nurses, the doctors and the general population.”
According to Amewu, the message from these engagements has been consistent. “And so this election, it’s not because Kennedy is an individual. Kennedy is just a medium. The whole nation wants Kennedy,” he stated, adding that competitive advantage comes from the call by citizens who will ultimately vote in general elections.
The former minister stressed that his position is not based on personal loyalty or friendship but on voter energy and public confidence. He argued that elections are ultimately decided by these factors rather than internal party calculations alone, warning that ignoring such signals would be risky as the party prepares for 2028.
Amewu said he has worked with each of the five candidates at close range and believes that gives him a clear basis to judge their strengths. “I have an opportunity to interact with all the other five candidates. So I am in a position to tell you that I have dealt with all these people,” he explained, referencing his cabinet service alongside Kennedy Agyapong during the previous administration.
While acknowledging all five candidates are exceptionally good, Amewu insisted the party needs more than competence going into the next election cycle. “We need a medium through which our party will be united. The election that is coming up in 2028 is not a normal election,” he said, adding that unity, strength, and broad appeal will matter more than internal popularity.
Meanwhile, Ofoase Ayirebi MP Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged delegates to vote for Doctor Mahamudu Bawumia as the party’s flagbearer. In a video shared online, Oppong Nkrumah praised Bawumia’s character and leadership qualities.
“He’s winnable and has good character,” he said. “He comes to the table with life transforming ideas that this country needs.”
Oppong Nkrumah explained that the party believes Bawumia’s ideas can help them win power in the 2028 general elections. “As a political party, we want his ideas to be so attractive to win us power,” he added.
The MP also spoke about his recent tour of the Ashanti Region, where he engaged party members and delegates across multiple constituencies including Ejura Sekyedumase, Mampong, Nsuta Kwamang Beposo, and Afigya Kwabre North. According to him, the response from delegates has been encouraging.
“Once again, I received the overwhelming endorsement of delegates, and I am immensely grateful,” he said, expressing confidence ahead of the primaries. “We are winning together on January 31.”
Ayensuano MP Ida Adjoa Asiedu has also touted Bawumia’s credentials, describing him as one person driven by the needs of people rather than personal gain. Speaking in an interview on Kumasi based Angel FM, she highlighted the former Vice President’s track record in government and his temperament as primary reasons for her endorsement.
“He possesses the qualities of a good leader. Even when he is being insulted, he smiles; he does not retaliate. He is calm, and from my observation, he is very knowledgeable and also not selfish,” Asiedu stated. She credited Bawumia with spearheading numerous social interventions that directly impacted Ghanaians during his tenure.
“He brought lots of social interventions as a Vice President and would do better when given the opportunity to be the President,” the MP concluded, expressing confidence that his performance as Vice President was only a glimpse of what he could achieve as President.
Doctor Kwaku Adu Boahen, Associate President of the Ghana Watch Initiative, has predicted a Kennedy Agyapong victory on January 31, arguing that the candidate’s focus on job creation resonates with delegates facing unemployment challenges.
“We have about 1.3 million graduates without jobs, and it is becoming a national security issue,” Adu Boahen said in an interview on TV3. He noted that Agyapong’s message connects directly with this challenge.
“He is talking about creating jobs. That message resonates with delegates. In every district he has visited, he has identified something we can do to support people,” Adu Boahen explained, describing Agyapong as someone with a proven record having created jobs through approximately 16 companies.
“Ken is a doer. He has a track record. By January 31, Ken Agyapong will be the new flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party,” Adu Boahen declared confidently.
However, Adu Boahen has also acknowledged that all five aspirants contesting are capable leaders who can win elections. In a separate interview on TV3, he stressed that none of the candidates should be dismissed.
“I have always maintained that all the five gentlemen contesting are party people. They are credible and they can win elections on any given day,” he said, noting that each brings strong qualities including business experience, engineering, and education.
He emphasized that the real decision rests with party delegates, not commentators or analysts. “We are going to the polls to elect a leader. About 214,000 people will vote, and that person will then be presented to Ghanaians,” Adu Boahen explained, urging party supporters to focus on unity rather than internal division.
The competing endorsements come as polling data shows divergent results. Global Info Analytics places Doctor Bawumia in the lead with 45 percent support in December polling, followed by Kennedy Agyapong with 31 percent. However, a separate Sanity Africa survey released in January shows Kennedy Agyapong commanding 52 percent support compared to Bawumia’s 40 percent.
The contrasting poll results have fueled debates about methodology and sample sizes. Adu Boahen questioned why some findings do not reflect what campaign teams claim to be experiencing on the ground during delegate engagements.
“We are on the field. We know what delegates want. We know what Ghanaians want,” he stated, adding that polls should guide discussion but not be treated as final outcomes. “These things are supposed to educate us, not confuse us.”
The endorsement battles have intensified in recent days following controversial statements exchanged between camps. Kennedy Agyapong recently launched personal attacks on Bawumia over comments he attributed to him during a delegate event, describing the former Vice President as “a liar” over remarks about Professor Albert Adu Boahen’s 1996 election bid.
However, video evidence shows the statement Agyapong responded to was actually made by Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, not Bawumia. The misattribution has drawn criticism on social media, with users questioning the basis of Agyapong’s attacks.
Wontumi told delegates that with the exception of Adu Boahen, the party had historically retained first time presidential candidates. He noted that Adu Boahen was not retained in 1996 due to ill health, referencing a book by Apenten Appiah Menka.
The incident has sparked discussions about temperament and fact checking among leadership aspirants as the party prepares for what many describe as one of its most significant internal elections following the 2024 electoral defeat.
Bawumia’s campaign has received major endorsements from 63 sitting NPP Members of Parliament and over 118 former parliamentary candidates who contested the 2024 elections. However, the endorsements have drawn criticism from rival camps, with Kennedy Agyapong’s spokesperson Kwasi Kwarteng dismissing the declarations as cosmetic, arguing they do not reflect grassroots sentiment.
Five prominent figures are contesting the flagbearership: former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Doctor Mahamudu Bawumia; businessman and former Assin Central MP Ken Ohene Agyapong; Bosomtwe MP and former Minister of Education Doctor Yaw Osei Adutwum; MP for Abetifi and former Minister of Food and Agriculture Doctor Bryan Acheampong; and former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a civil engineer and party stalwart.
The primary date was officially announced by the party’s General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua after a National Executive Committee meeting held on June 17, 2025, and subsequently endorsed by the National Council. The election will be conducted across all 276 constituencies plus the party’s national headquarters, with no provision for proxy voting.
Tensions heightened in early January 2026 when the party requested the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate allegations of a plot to rig the primary. The Presidential Elections Committee, chaired by Joseph Osei Owusu, has since outlined safeguards including meetings with aspirants, the Electoral Commission, and police, as well as the signing of a Peace Pact scheduled for January 22.
Former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo have both urged transparency, commending the committee for its commitment to democratic principles as the party seeks to reorganize, reconnect with grassroots, and redefine its identity following the 2024 electoral defeat.
Each aspirant has embarked on nationwide tours across all constituencies, reflecting a renewed focus on grassroots engagement. Doctor Bawumia has positioned his campaign around party welfare and rebuilding trust at the base, while Kennedy Agyapong emphasizes job creation and industrial development as central themes.
As January 31 approaches, party insiders acknowledge the outcome will shape the NPP’s future direction and its readiness for the 2028 general election. The competing endorsements from prominent party figures reflect deeper divisions about what type of leadership the party needs to recapture power after eight years in government.
