The Upper East Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Ayinbisa, has called for disciplinary action against Kennedy Agyapong, a former flagbearer aspirant of the party, for what he describes as open defiance of party rules.
Ayinbisa’s call comes in response to recent comments made by Agyapong in viral videos, where he criticised the NPP’s 2024 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and questioned the rationale behind giving him a second chance in future elections. Agyapong argued that Bawumia’s poor performance in the 2024 polls — where he lost by nearly 2 million votes — should disqualify him from consideration for a re-election bid. He further suggested that the party’s defeat was due to its disregard for the Christian community, hinting that Bawumia’s Muslim faith may have contributed to the loss.
However, Ayinbisa sees these remarks as not only divisive but also in direct violation of a directive issued by the party’s General Secretary on May 14, 2025. That directive barred all party members from engaging in internal campaign activities until nominations for new leadership are officially opened.
“The party said we should stop all internal campaigning,” Ayinbisa stated in an interview. “So if someone goes ahead to gather supporters and publicly question why a candidate who lost by almost 2 million votes should be given another chance, that’s clearly going against the rules. There should be consequences.”
He expressed disappointment over the party’s silence on the issue so far, stressing that failure to act would open the floodgates for more rule-breaking. “I’m surprised that despite the viral videos of Kennedy campaigning, the General Secretary has not spoken. He needs to be proactive. If you make rules and do not enforce them, it makes no sense. It sends a message that the rules are meaningless,” Ayinbisa argued.
The NPP communicator also took a swipe at Kennedy Agyapong’s own electoral track record, reminding him that he failed to help the party retain his Assin Central parliamentary seat in the last election. “He should have retained his seat first before coming out to attack others,” Ayinbisa added.
He compared Bawumia’s situation to that of John Mahama in 2016, noting that Mahama suffered a major defeat by nearly 1 million votes as a sitting president but later returned stronger to win by over 1.5 million votes in 2024. “If John Mahama was given a second chance and came back stronger, why can’t Bawumia be given the same opportunity?” Ayinbisa questioned.
He concluded by urging the NPP leadership to uphold discipline and ensure that all members respect party structures and directives as they prepare for the next electoral cycle.
