A senior lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr. Jonathan Asante Okyere, has expressed concern over former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s recent endorsement of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, suggesting that his support was more driven by partisan interest than statesmanship.
During the 2024 election campaign, President Kufuor hailed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer as the best candidate to lead the party to victory.
This sparked debate among Ghanaians, including some key figures who expressed disappointment with the former president’s stance.
Speaking on Starr Today on Monday, December 23, Dr. Okyere specifically pointed out that Kufuor’s public endorsement of Bawumia, particularly in the lead-up to the elections, did not reflect his traditional statesmanship but was instead influenced by party loyalty.
He expressed surprise at Kufuor’s increasing involvement in partisan activities, especially considering the former president’s broad acceptance across various political parties.
According to Dr. Okyere, Kufuor should have refrained from getting involved in this capacity.
Dr. Okyere also advised both President Akufo-Addo and Kufuor to step back and allow the party to regroup and rebrand, especially after the significant loss in the elections.
He noted that while both leaders had their moments in power, their recent involvement in party affairs could potentially harm the NPP’s chances of rebuilding and attracting new support.
He stated, “President Kufour I think that he has run his race, he’s tired. I got surprised that every here now and then, they hauled him to take part in partisan activities because until recently he voiced the view that Dr. Bawumia is the best which I realised that it was partisan influence, and it was not a Stateman influence kind of statement from the former president, someone I highly respect because he has gained acceptability and respect of and sundry, including the NDC, NPP itself and other political parties.”
“So there was no need for him to meddle in this affair. But I got information that the journey was too touch for Bawumia and they needed to convince the Ashanti support-based to come on board. That is even the main cause of the defeat of the NPP. The Ashanti support-based felt disgruntled by the kind of things by the leadership, not the party.”
