NPP’s Northern losses stemmed from Kusasi resistance to Bawumia – Bryan Acheampong

Abetifi MP and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer aspirant, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has linked the party’s 2024 electoral loss to tribal tensions he says were triggered by the choice of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as flagbearer.

Addressing party faithful on Saturday, August 23, the former Minister for Agriculture argued that while the NPP had previously secured strong support across the northern regions under former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2024 election turned out differently.

He attributed the outcome to deep-rooted rivalries between Mamprusis and Kusasis.

“President Kufuor had full support from Kusasis and President Akufo-Addo enjoyed the same. But in 2024, because the contest was tied to the tribal conflict between Mamprusis and Kusasis, and we chose a flagbearer from one side, we lost across Oti, Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions,” Dr. Acheampong explained.

He stressed that the defeat was not necessarily Dr. Bawumia’s personal failure but rather a matter of circumstance. “We lost all our seats because of the candidate we presented. It may not have been his fault, but the timing was against him,” he added.

Dr. Acheampong, who is now vying to lead the NPP into the 2028 polls, urged the party to learn critical lessons from the 2024 outcome. He said future decisions must be guided by strategy, with a focus on selecting a candidate who can unify the party and broaden its electoral appeal against the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The tribal conflict in Bawku, which resurfaced in 2017, further complicated matters. Tensions escalated when Mamprusis—aligned with Dr. Bawumia’s background—enskinned Seidu Abagri as a rival chief, challenging the authority of the Zugraan and Overlord of Kusaug, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II.