Why Ken Agyapong is to be partly blamed for NPP's defeat - UG lecturer

A Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has said that maverick politician and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong, is partly responsible for the heavy defeat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the recently concluded general elections.

Speaking on Neat FM, as monitored by GhanaWeb, the senior lecturer stated that Ken Agyapong's utterances during the NPP's presidential primary became an effective weapon for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which they deployed to undermine the NPP campaign, ultimately contributing to the party's loss.

"During the NPP presidential primary, Ken Agyapong launched a series of scathing attacks on Dr. Bawumia, the incumbent Vice President and his competitor. He highlighted many issues he found wrong with the government. While he is known for his candor, in politics, such criticisms, if not managed carefully, can arm opponents.

His comments became a weapon for the NDC in the recent elections. For instance, he claimed that the NPP had already lost the election in 2022 when the government implemented haircuts on investments. He also stated that during his tours across the country, he did not see factories established under the much-touted 'One District, One Factory' (1D1F) program. Additionally, he accused the government of looting state resources with impunity and criticized the drastic depreciation of the Cedi from 1$ to GH¢4.00 to 1$ to GH¢16.00," Dr. Asah Asante noted.

He added that his earlier caution to the contestants to be mindful of their utterances was ignored.

"I remember cautioning that the NPP presidential primary was an internal affair, and the candidates needed to be mindful of their remarks to avoid damaging their own party after the contest. Unfortunately, my advice was not heeded. After Dr. Bawumia emerged as the winner, Ken Agyapong could not fully support his campaign because of the numerous critical statements he had made against him. These statements were later exploited by the opposition to campaign against the government, ultimately leading to the party's defeat," Dr. Asah Asante explained.

The NPP suffered its worst defeat in elections since the Fourth Republic in the general elections held on December 7, 2024.

The Electoral Commission, on December 9, 2024, declared John Dramani Mahama the winner of Ghana's 2024 presidential election.

Based on results declared from 267 constituencies, excluding nine constituencies, Mr. Mahama garnered 6,328,397 votes, representing 56.55% of valid votes cast, to defeat the current Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who secured 4,657,304 votes, representing 41.61% of valid votes cast.

The declaration was based on results from 267 constituencies, excluding nine constituencies where results were still outstanding.

However, the Electoral Commission noted that even if all the votes from these nine constituencies were allocated to Dr. Bawumia, it would not significantly change the outcome in his favor.

KA

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