Bryan Acheampong, former presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed for calm and reconciliation within the party, urging former Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong to channel his influence towards rebuilding the party ahead of the 2028 general elections.
In a strongly worded but conciliatory statement, the former contender, who also participated in the party’s January presidential primary, said he understood the disappointment that follows an electoral defeat and empathised with Agyapong’s frustrations.
“I speak to you today not as a bystander to our recent contest, but as one who stood in it,” he said, noting that he, like Agyapong, did not emerge victorious in the primary.
He stressed that the NPP’s most urgent task after its defeat in the 2024 general election was to rebuild internal cohesion and position itself for a return to power in 2028.
“Our party suffered a painful defeat in 2024. The single most important task before us between now and 2028 is to rebuild, reunite and return to power,” he stated.
His comments come amid growing tensions within the party following recent remarks by Agyapong, who has reportedly threatened action against the party and some of its members over grievances arising from the presidential contest.
Describing Agyapong as “a son of the party,” the former aspirant acknowledged his longstanding contributions to the NPP and the significant support he commands among grassroots members.
He, however, urged the former lawmaker to lower the political temperature and focus on healing divisions within the party.
Addressing the source of Agyapong’s frustrations, the former aspirant admitted that some individuals associated with the flagbearer’s campaign, as well as members of his own campaign team, made remarks that were disrespectful and, at times, insulting.
He said many party faithful had wished those individuals had been restrained and that senior party figures had acted more swiftly to address the situation.
Despite this, he maintained that there was no evidence that the party’s flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, authorised or encouraged the attacks.
“The individuals responsible carry their own long-standing grievances with Hon. Agyapong. It would be a grave error to allow the misconduct of a few to be charged to the account of our flagbearer, or worse, to our entire party,” he said.
The former aspirant also acknowledged that harsh words had been exchanged by different camps during the heated contest, including comments made by Agyapong himself.
He stressed that his intention was not to assign blame but to encourage all parties to move beyond the bitterness of the campaign.
Calling for mutual understanding and forgiveness, he urged party members not to wait for others to take the first step towards reconciliation.
He further reminded party supporters that the NPP had weathered internal disagreements in the past and emerged stronger because of its commitment to shared values and a common purpose.
“The road back to power in 2028 will not be easy, but it will be impossible if we walk it apart,” he said.
The appeal adds to growing calls from party stalwarts for unity as the NPP begins the difficult process of rebuilding after its electoral setback and prepares for the next general election.
READ FULL STATEMENT
A CALL TO UNITE BEHIND OUR PARTY AND OUR FLAGBEARER
Dr. Bryan Acheampong, MP Abetifi. 19/06/2026.
Fellow members of the New Patriotic Party,
I speak to you today not as a bystander to our recent contest, but as one who stood in it. Like Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, I offered myself to our delegates in the January primary, and like him, I did not emerge the winner. I therefore understand, perhaps better than most, the weight of disappointment that follows a hard-fought campaign and the depth of emotion invested by candidates and supporters alike.
It is precisely from that place of shared experience that I make this appeal.
Our party suffered a painful defeat in 2024. The single most important task before us between now and 2028 is to rebuild, to reunite, and to return to power. Nothing! no grievance, no provocation, no personal quarrel can be allowed to stand above that mission. Every day we spend fighting one another is a day we hand freely to our opponents.
I have followed with concern the recent remarks by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and his threat of action against the party and against certain individuals. Ken is a son of this party. A man whose energy, resources and loyalty over decades cannot be questioned, and whose voice carries weight across our grassroots. It is for that very reason that I urge him, respectfully but firmly, to lower the temperature and to lend his considerable influence to the work of healing rather than division.
Let me be candid about the source of his hurt, because it is real. During and after the contest, a few voices around the flagbearers and even my own campaign directed disrespect and sometimes insults at Hon. Agyapong that were unworthy of our tradition. Many of us wished those individuals had been restrained and wished our elders had moved more swiftly to call them to order. That wish was legitimate.
But we must also be fair and truthful. There is no evidence that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia commissioned, directed or endorsed those attacks. The individuals responsible carry their own long-standing grievances with Hon. Agyapong, quarrels that are personal to them and that they have pursued on their own account. It would be a grave error to allow the misconduct of a few to be charged to the account of our flagbearer, or worse, to our entire party.
And let us be honest with ourselves on all sides. In the heat of a contest, none of us speaks with perfect restraint, and harsh words passed in more than one direction — Hon. Agyapong’s own among them. I say this not to apportion blame, for I believe such words were spoken in the passion of the moment rather than from the heart. My hope is simply that all of us, those who wounded Ken, and Ken himself might find the grace to make peace, without anyone waiting for the other to move first. That is what true reconciliation asks of us.
Because here is the truth that must anchor us: this is about Dr. Bawumia and the NPP and not about the handful of individuals with their own scores to settle. Dr. Bawumia is now the candidate of all of us. He carries the mandate not only of those who voted for him, but of every member who voted for Ken, for me, and for the others who contested. To rally around him is not to take a side in anyone’s personal feud; it is to defend the party that is bigger than all of us.
So, I appeal to Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, to his supporters, and to mine: let us lay down the weapons of internal warfare. Action the verb UNITY. And let us close ranks behind our flagbearer so that in 2028 we restore the New Patriotic Party to the service of the people of Ghana.
Unity is not weakness. Unity is how we win.
Dr. Bryan Acheampong, MP.
Former Minister of Food and Agriculture. Aspirant-NPP 2026 Primaries.
