In one of the bluntest interventions yet in the New Patriotic Party’s increasingly tense presidential race, flagbearer hopeful Dr. Bryan Acheampong has warned that the NPP risks a terminal fracture if it elects either Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia or Kennedy Agyapong as its candidate for the 2028 general elections.
Addressing a charged gathering of delegates in the Obom, Amasaman and Trobu constituencies on Saturday, January 17, 2026, Dr. Acheampong cast himself as the party’s only viable unifier, arguing that the internal rivalry between the two leading camps has become dangerously toxic. His remarks formed the climax of a two-day “Unity Tour” of the Greater Accra Region, just weeks before the party’s presidential primaries scheduled for January 31, 2026.
At the heart of Dr. Acheampong’s message was a stark assessment of the NPP’s internal health. According to him, the animosity between supporters of Dr. Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong has reached such depths that reconciliation after the primaries would be nearly impossible, regardless of who emerges victorious.
“I have this question for you all, and it is because we are all seeking power,” he told the delegates. “Who among you here believes that if Kennedy Agyapong wins, Abronye DC and the supporters of Dr. Bawumia would support him for us to win power?”
He then reversed the scenario, suggesting that a victory for Dr. Bawumia would trigger a similar backlash. “What about when the situation is vice versa in the case of Dr. Bawumia?” he asked, before declaring emphatically, “I am the only one who can unify this party for victory in 2028.”
Dr. Acheampong did not shy away from linking the current tensions to the party’s recent electoral defeat. He revealed that even efforts to rally the party after the loss were derailed by internal squabbles. According to him, the post-election “Thank You Tour” had to be abandoned because of infighting so severe that some party members were literally removed from the campaign bus.
“Remember, we lost the last election, and we were on our way for just a Thank You Tour,” he recounted. “Even so, we were not able to complete it because of petty fights. Some people were dropped from the bus and were told that utterances from their mouths contributed to our loss.”
That reference to “the bus” has since taken on symbolic weight in the 2026 contest, representing the unresolved grievances, factional mistrust and simmering resentments that have defined the NPP’s internal dynamics over the past eight years.
Framing his candidacy as a last line of defence against implosion, Dr. Acheampong urged delegates to look beyond factional loyalty and consider electability. “You all know that if we push these two, we will struggle to win power,” he said. “Present me; let me win that power for our party.”
As the NPP heads into its crucial primaries, Dr. Acheampong’s warning underscores the high stakes of the contest not just the choice of a flagbearer, but the very cohesion and future viability of the party itself.
