Conversation about Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s ‘non-Akan’ comment needless – Joe Wise

Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker in Parliament has labelled as ‘useless’ discussions on comments made by Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to the effect that the New Patriotic Party should consider a non-Akan as candidate for the 2024 elections.

The Member of Parliament is quoted to have said on Wontumi FM that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s statement was misrepresented by the media.

“I believe that all the conversation we are having now about Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and his non-Akan comment is needless. Listening to the tape well and its content, the heading given to it if does not match to the published story,” a leading member of the party, Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu claimed.

He disclosed that the party is currently focused on electing its electoral coordinators and other executives at the polling station level.

“It is not yet time for the flagbearership position. The party is about to elect Electoral Coordinators, polling station executives among others to steer affairs of the party”, Joe Osei-Owusu said.

“However, it is natural that people interested in the flagbearership position will start showing interest,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Agyapong, a leading member of the party has slammed Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu for limiting the discussion to ethnicity instead of competence.

According to him, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is more than qualified to lead the party.

“I will vote Bawumia as candidate if he is elected because I have worked with him in this government and I have seen that he is competent and capable of doing it. I’m not going to vote for him for the fact that he is a northerner. That is rubbish.

“It’s very rubbish, the man is competent and he can do it but don’t come and tell me that he is a Northerner so we should give it to him. Why are you people behaving like that. I disagree totally with leader’s statement. I will go for Bawumia because he can do it,” he said. Kennedy Agyapong also cautioned the interested parties against crippling Akufo-Addo with their early campaign.

“I will plead with everyone to shelve the conversation about the ambition. If you don’t allow president Akufo-Addo to work for three years, I’m afraid you might have the best brain but the Ghanaians won’t vote for us. Our behaviour is clearly show that defeat in 2004 is staring at us.

Our behaviour shows that we are not learning from mistakes from the past. Hold on and allow President Akufo-Addo to work, 2021, 2022 and 2023 you can fight and we don’t have a problem. You are killing the party with what you are doing and they want us to talk. I sometimes ask if we learn,” he said.