Politics

 

By:A correspondent

A fresh wave of controversy has hit the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries after comments made by the former Defence Minister and MP for Bimbilla, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, during a meeting with party delegates in the Northern Region.

Addressing Kokomba delegates in his constituency alongside Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Hon. Nitiwul made a series of remarks that many observers say amount to direct ethnic incitement aimed at influencing the presidential primaries.In his address, Hon. Nitiwul repeatedly urged Kokombas across Yendi, Wulensi, Pandai, Bimbilla, Tatale, Zabzugu and neighbouring areas to vote en bloc for Dr Bawumia because, according to him, “Dr Bawumia is the one who likes Kokombas.”He contrasted this with claims that Hon. Kennedy Agyapong “does not like Kokombas”, arguing that only a few Kokombas accompanied Kennedy Agyapong during his recent visit to Yendi, compared to those who welcomed Dr Bawumia.

He further asserted that despite being friends and having served together in Parliament, he “knows Kennedy Agyapong’s character”, adding that Agyapong was not someone Kokombas should trust with their votes.Hon. Nitiwul repeatedly appealed to tribal identity, urging Kokombas not to “disgrace” their northern brother Dr Bawumia by supporting anyone else.

Hon. Dominic Nitiwul

He suggested that Kokombas in several constituencies had already resolved to vote massively for Dr Bawumia and encouraged his audience to do the same.Political analysts have described the comments as a worrying attempt to mobilise votes along ethnic lines, especially at a time when political actors routinely condemn tribal politics in the south while exploiting it in the north.Critics argue that such statements deepen divisions within the party and contradict the NPP’s long-standing stance against tribalism.

Others warn that if left unchecked, this rhetoric could fuel unnecessary tensions both within the primaries and in national politics.

As the NPP prepares for its crucial presidential primaries, Hon. Nitiwul’s comments have added a new layer of controversy, raising questions about whether ethnic appeals are becoming a central strategy in the internal contest.

After briefly suspending her regional campaign tour to avoid any seeming clash or confusion with Naa Torshie, Hajia Samira Bawumia is set to resume the first phase of her Ashanti Region tour from 1st to 9th December.

With renewed energy, she is expected to cover 18 constituencies, completing her engagement with 30 out of 47 constituencies in the region for her first phase .

Hajia Samira Bawumia

She will continue to make a strong case for her husband’s impeccable record and selfless contributions towards the development of the party in the last 23 years, making the ideal presidential candidate for the party in the December 2028 general elections.

Her message also appears to resonate well with the delegates, restoring hope, commitment, and dedication among the grassroots of the party, as delegates give full assurance of their readiness to vote massively for Dr Bawumia on January 31st.Source : Peacefmonline.com

 

The Member of Parliament ( MP) for Ahafo Ano South West, Hon. Elvis Dapaah Mensah, has made explosive claims, stating unequivocally that he would have lost his parliamentary seat to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate were it not for the timely intervention of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua.

Elvis Dapaah Mensah

In a candid, ‘no-holds-barred’ interview on Kessben TV on Tuesday night, the MP revealed that his 2024 election campaign was deliberately crippled by an internal campaign of financial sabotage.

Lawyer Justin Frimpong Kodua,NPP General Secretary

He disclosed that he was intentionally cut off from any significant funding required to prosecute a well-oiled and effective campaign.

Accusations of Financial Sabotage:

Hon. Dapaah Mensah explained that this deliberate financial strangulation was engineered by factions within the party who wrongly accused him of supporting Alan Kyerematen in the NPP’s 2023 flagbearer race.

The MP claimed that these internal adversaries went as far as seizing essential equipment he was utilizing for the Akufo-Addo administration’s flagship ‘community mining’ project, effectively crippling his financial base and his ability to deliver resources to his constituency.

“It took the decisive intervention of the current NPP General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, to save me from what would have been certain defeat in the Ahafo Ano South West Parliamentary election,” Hon.Dapaah told Kwaku Owusu Aduomi of Kessben Media.

The Hurdle of the Primaries:

The young legislator recounted the intense political climate leading up to the party’s internal parliamentary primaries, which secured his candidacy.

He stressed that prior to his nomination, he faced numerous coordinated and deliberate schemes meticulously orchestrated by internal opponents who were determined to ensure his defeat.

Hon. Dapaah acknowledged that these attempts to sabotage his political career were intense, but by the grace of God and the staunch support of the delegates, he successfully scaled the hurdle.

“All attempts to make me lose the internal primaries were fiercely waged,” Hon. Dapaah stated.

“But through God’s divine grace and the unwavering support from the loyal delegates of Ahafo Ano South West, I triumphed to become the Parliamentary Candidate.”

Allegations of Treachery:

Following his victory in the primaries, Mr. Dapaah affirmed his loyalty to the party, throwing his full support behind the then-Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who had won the party’s 2023 flagbearer election.

Despite this public declaration, the MP alleges that the attempts to make him lose the main parliamentary election intensified.

He shockingly accused the Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, as the primary architect behind this “devilish plot” to ensure he failed as the party’s representative.

Current Political Realignment:

Addressing his current political alignment, Hon. Dapaah Mensah confirmed his decision to support Dr. Bryan Acheampong in his potential bid to lead the NPP as the next flagbearer.

This decision, the MP claims, has once again inflamed tensions with his political detractors.

“This choice of mine has predictably angered Dr. Ayew Afriye, who has now intensified attempts to vilify and blackmail me to the delegates of Ahafo Ano South West,” Hon. Dapaah stressed.

“I will, however, continue to relentlessly expose his evil and divisive plans for the sake of party unity and the development of my constituency”, Hon Dapaah stated.Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie

The running mate to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 election, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, says his controversial “mo Kwame Nkrumah” remark was taken out of context and completely misunderstood.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, the former Manhyia South MP insisted that the public outrage that followed the comment did not reflect his intent.

Dr Opoku Prempeh, aka NAPO, said the statement was made in a specific political moment and should not have been interpreted as an attack on Ghana’s first President.

“At that time, you can’t go into the evidence, so I made a statement ‘mo Kwame Nkrumah’, and I subsequently had to go to Nkroful and speak to the Chiefs there and explain the contest in which the statement was made,” he said.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo

He explained that political communication can be easily distorted and that leaders must take responsibility when their words create confusion.

“Because in politics, if somebody misunderstands, misquotes, or you allow your communication to be misread or to be misunderstood, you have to own it. So I owned it, and that is why I issued the statement,” he said.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh compared his remark to football banter to underscore that he was not attacking Kwame Nkrumah.

“Not that the context was wrong. I’m a die-hard fan of Kumasi Asante Kotoko. So if I’m teasing Olympic supporters and I said ‘mo Oly fuo no’, I’m not really insulting Olympic fans. I’m just upping Kotoko fuo because I am one of them,” he explained.

He maintained that the Nkrumah reference had been “totally misunderstood”.

The NPP running mate acknowledged the strong reaction that followed.

“It generated a lot of uproar. Nkrumahists got furious, and I apologise to them,” he said. But he urged critics to reflect on Nkrumah’s own writings.

“They should go and read Kwame Nkrumah’s Last Days from Guinea and look at how he described his own Convention People’s Party (CPP). He said the CPP was dead. That’s Nkrumah’s own writing, so we don’t say these things out of lack of respect. You know me. I have friends everywhere,” he noted.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s comment in July 2024—stating that no president, including Kwame Nkrumah, had outperformed President Akufo-Addo—triggered widespread backlash when he was unveiled as the New Patriotic Party’s running mate.

Critics, including the Convention People’s Party, described his remark as disrespectful. The episode reignited concerns about what many opponents have called his “arrogant” public posture.

On PM Express, however, Dr Opoku Prempeh insisted that the debate was driven by misinterpretation rather than intent.

He stressed that the statement was political rhetoric, not an attack on Ghana’s founding leader.Source: Abubakar Ibrahim

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the High Court decision that annulled the 2024 parliamentary results in Kpandai and ordered a fresh election within 30 days. The party has filed a notice of appeal and a motion for stay of execution, insisting that the ruling is flawed and the original results remain valid.

Speaking to journalists after the proceedings, counsel for NPP MP Matthew Nyindam said the party respected the authority of the court but strongly disagreed with the outcome.

“In the heat up to the trial, we heard of several things, and we didn’t take them for granted. We believe that the petition was frivolous, but the court has decided otherwise, so we respect the decision of the court. But we strongly disagree with the judgment, and we have already shown our disagreement by filing a competent notice of appeal, and we’ve added a motion for stay of execution.”

He said he anticipated an unfavourable ruling and prepared in advance.

“As a lawyer, if you are accepting information that judgment will be compromised, you prepare. So you come for the judgment with a notice of appeal in your pocket, and that was exactly what I did.”

According to him, the NPP will pursue all legal avenues to overturn the ruling.

“The only fight left for us is to follow the due process of the law, and that is by filing the notice of appeal. This is my notice of appeal dated November 24 at 10:04 a.m. The motion for stay of execution is dated 10:13 a.m.”

He added that the NDC had been properly served with the appeal documents.

“The petitioner has been served with the process and decided to throw it away, but that’s proper service. In law, if they serve you a process and you throw it away, the bailiff will only go and prove service… that is even contempt of court, but that’s for another day.”

The NPP also defended the Electoral Commission’s decision to relocate the collation centre.

“The evidence on the record is that there was violence at the initially designated collation centre… and once there was violence, the EC has the right to relocate the collation centre. Regulation 48 of CI 127 says that the absence of a candidate and his agent at the collation centre does not invalidate the results.”

He argued that even the disputed polling stations would not alter the election outcome.

“They said they affected polling station 41, that the total votes were about 500. Commonsensically, if you take that 500 votes and add it to the petitioner, he will still not win the elections.”

“The law is in the bosom of the judge. That doesn’t mean the judge is necessarily right. That’s why there is a hierarchy. You climb the next ladder… the Court of Appeal in this case.”

MP Matthew Nyindam also rejected the ruling, insisting he remains the duly elected representative.

“Let me, in the first place, thank my supporters, thank the good people of Kpandai. And let me put it on record that I’m still their MP. I want to put it on record that I’m still their MP.”

He claimed the judgment did not surprise him, alleging political interference.

“Before we came to court, I can say for sure that for about a week, we knew that things were not going to be right. Our opponents were jubilating. They were too sure that this is the judgment they were going to get.”

While emphasising respect for the court, he rejected the ruling as wrong.

“As law-abiding citizens, yes, we respect what the judge has said. We vehemently disagree with him.”

He pointed to the constituency’s pink sheets as proof of his victory.

“I know that I won the election with a difference of 3,734. Every single pink sheet was given to all the political parties. I have my 152 pink sheets. They have their 152 pink sheets. And if you put the results together, we have won the elections.”

Mr Nyindam accused the NDC of attempting to use state influence to overturn the constituency’s will.

“They decide to come to court knowing very well that maybe they’ll be able to use the state’s powers to overturn certain things.”

He said the party had already moved the matter to the next judicial stage.

“We have completely filed our stay of execution. The lawyer has done that. He has filed the appeal too, and we think that, God be so good, the next is ours.”

Nyindam expressed readiness for a by-election if required but maintained that the ruling was unjust.

“If genuinely we have to rerun, we won’t have a problem. But if you decide to pave your way through because you think you are in government and can use state powers to coerce people, that’s where we have a difficulty.” Source: Clara Seshie

Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia continues to dominate the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries, scheduled for January 2026, according to a new survey conducted by Global InfoAnalytics.

The poll, conducted between 17th and 21st November 2025 among 3,500 delegates across all 16 regions, shows a slight decline in support for Dr Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong since October, but the former Vice President maintains a decisive advantage.

Using the likely voters’ model:

Dr. Bawumia: 42.7%

Kennedy Agyapong: 17.7%

Dr Bryan Acheampong: 4.6%

Dr Yaw Adutwum: 0.3%

Kwabena Adjei Agyapong: 0.3%

Notably, 14.9% of delegates did not disclose their voting intentions, while 19.3% remain undecided.

Among committed voters, Dr Bawumia’s lead widens:

Dr. Bawumia: 63.3%

Kennedy Agyapong: 28.6%

Dr. Acheampong: 6.9%

Regional dynamics reveal that Dr Bawumia leads in 13 regions, with Kennedy ahead only in the Volta region, while the Central region is statistically tied.

The survey also highlights shifts in voter allegiance since the 2023 primaries: around 11% of Kennedy Agyapong’s previous supporters have shifted to Dr Bawumia, while Dr Acheampong captured 4% of Bawumia’s and 5% of Kennedy’s prior backers.

The candidates

Favourability ratings show Dr. Bawumia at 92%, up one point from the previous month, while other candidates saw slight declines. Additionally, 59% of delegates believe giving a candidate a second chance could enhance the party’s prospects in the upcoming primaries.

Global InfoAnalytics emphasises that the poll carries a 99% confidence level with a margin of error of ±2.12%, underlining its reliability.Below is the entire survey.Source: Albert Kuzor

The Tamale High Court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Brew Plange, has annulled the 2024 parliamentary election results for the Kpandai constituency and ordered a fresh poll within 30 days, following a successful legal challenge.
The petition was filed by National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal, who claimed that the December 7, 2024, election was tainted by serious irregularities.
He alleged inconsistencies in Form 8A (the “pink sheet”) from 41 polling stations out of the total 152, arguing that these breaches violated Regulations 39 and 43 of the Public Elections Regulations (CI 127).
In its ruling, the court agreed that non compliance with electoral regulations materially affected the integrity of the vote. It has accordingly ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a rerun of the parliamentary election in the entire constituency.

Matthew Nyindam

The sitting Member of Parliament for Kpandai is Matthew Nyindam of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who was declared the winner in the December vote.
This legal dispute did not emerge in a vacuum. On election day, tension erupted at the collation centre amid allegations of vote rigging by NDC supporters. Some reports say biometric verification devices (BVRs) were removed, ballots destroyed, and frustration boiled over, prompting the deployment of security forces.
In his judgment, Justice Plange intervened decisively, demanding that the EC restore credibility by organising a transparent re poll.
In the election of 2024, the NPP’s Matthew Nyindam secured 27,947 votes representing 53.47%, whereas the NDC’s Daniel Nsala Wakpal got 24,213 votes representing 46.33%.
A third contestant, Donkor Eric Nipani of the APC, polled a meagre 104 votes representing 0.20%.This means that between the NDC and NPP, the vote difference was 3,734.
Meanwhile, lawyers for the NPP candidate have indicated that they’ll file for a stay of execution pending an appeal.Source:myjoyonline.com

 

 

By: tntnewspapergh.com

Hon. Irene Naa Torshie Addo has taken her message of renewal, development, and accountable leadership to the Ashanti Region, where she engaged delegates across the Oforikrom, Suame, Asokwa, and Manhyia South constituencies as part of her vigorous campaign for Hon. Kennedy Agyapong.

Hon. Irene Naa Torshie

Addressing delegates, Hon. Naa Torshie stressed that there is no New Patriotic Party without the Ashanti Region, insisting that the party’s electoral strength and historical loyalty must be matched with meaningful development, jobs, and economic empowerment. She said Ashanti has carried the party for decades and deserves a leader who will repay loyalty with action not rhetoric.

Naa Torshie explained that her decision to no longer support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is grounded in her firm belief that Hon. Kennedy Agyapong is the candidate who can win power for the New Patriotic Party in 2028. She also addressed ongoing propaganda surrounding her tenure at the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), making it clear that the management of the Fund was a collaborative process in which the Economic Management Team played a central role. She emphasised that she shares both the successes and the failures of that period with them, and that any attempt to single her out is simply misinformation. Her message to delegates was straightforward: “If we truly want change and victory in 2028, then we must rally behind the person who can deliver it, Kennedy Agyapong.”

She urged delegates to back Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, describing him as a serial job creator, a self-made entrepreneur, and the only aspirant with a clear, practical plan for industrialisation and youth employment. She highlighted Kennedy Agyapong’s record of establishing multiple businesses employing thousands of Ghanaians, insisting that such experience is exactly what Ghana needs to address today’s massive unemployment crisis.

“Kennedy Agyapong will bring development to Ashanti and jobs to Ghana. He is bold, he is independent, and he has proven that he delivers,” she told cheering delegates.

Hon. Naa Torshie also urged party faithful to choose a leader who understands the real economy, not just theories and presentations. She stated that Kennedy Agyapong represents hope for the grassroots, for jobless graduates, for market women, and for hard-working Ghanaians looking for opportunity.

Her tour continues across multiple constituencies in the Ashanti Region as she rallies the party’s base behind a candidate she believes can restore credibility, unity, and progress to the New Patriotic Party.

 

 

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reaffirmed its decision to maintain the ban on proxy voting in the party’s 2026 presidential primary, despite receiving several petitions from party members calling for a review.

Chairman of the NPP’s Presidential Elections Committee, Joe Osei Owusu, announced the decision after the committee concluded its consultations on concerns raised by various stakeholders within the party.

, Joe Osei Owusu,

He said the committee had thoroughly examined all petitions but determined that upholding the ban was necessary to ensure a transparent, credible, and incident-free election.

“The earlier published position or guideline on proxy voting—we’ve listened to all kinds of petitions. We’ve read the petitions presented by sections of the party. And after listening to all that, we came to a conclusion that for the sake of conducting an election that is incident-free, an election that is respected, an election in which it’s accessible to all, a very credible election, that provision or that ban should be maintained,” Joe Osei Owusu stated.

“We will still not have proxy voting in this 2026 presidential primaries,” he added.

The decision means that all delegates eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential primaries must be physically present at their designated polling centres to cast their ballots.
Source:Abigail Arthur