The New Patriotic Party’s so-called thank you tour has come under intense criticism from Solomon Owusu, a senior communicator for the Movement for Change, who insists the exercise is nothing more than a disguised campaign to position Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the party’s uncontested presidential candidate.
According to Owusu, the entire arrangement has been orchestrated to re-legitimise Dr. Bawumia ahead of the 2028 elections and entrench his control over the party.
“People have realized that the so-called thank you tour is not a thank you tour. It is a means of trying to allow Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to campaign again so that he follows all of them and then becomes the flag bearer of the party”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
Owusu minced no words in describing the tour as a calculated move to revive Dr. Bawumia’s image and reassert his dominance within a party he believes no longer reflects its founding ideals. He warned that what was once the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has now morphed into something entirely different.
He predicted an easy victory for Dr. Bawumia in the party’s next internal contest, claiming the system is designed in his favour.
“There is no way Kennedy Agyapong is going to win this party election. The system is Akufo-Addo’s system. They placed it there for Dr. Bawumia, and he will ride on it to become the flag bearer again, and he will be beaten convincingly come 2028”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
Party Crisis
Owusu expressed concern that key figures in the party, including its chairman, Stephen Ntim, have remained largely silent during the tour, raising questions about leadership and accountability.
“In the NPP’s constitution, whenever it’s in opposition, the chairman is the leader, and that should be Stephen Ntim, but where is he?”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
He also referred to comments by a former chief of staff who reportedly called for an immediate end to the party’s ‘Thank You’ tour, describing it as inappropriate in the current political context. Owusu argued that the party has strayed far from its democratic roots, citing recent incidents where media freedom was blatantly disregarded during press events.
“Look at the party that has as part of its own manifesto, respect for media freedom and expression, throw away a microphone during a press conference”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
He said the NPP has lost the foundational values that once defined it, and described it as a place where dissenting voices are no longer tolerated. “This is a totally different party. I call it the Nana People’s Party, where reasoning does not prevail.”
Overdue Apology
Owusu dismissed the idea that the NPP has anything to thank Ghanaians for, especially after their electoral defeat. He said the party should instead seek forgiveness from the people for what he described as years of mismanagement.
“They should be going on an apology tour. Apologize to the people of this country; ‘we did not treat you well. We did not manage the economy well, we have messed you up… and so forgive us of our sins’”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
Responding to Kennedy Agyapong’s recent calls for reconciliation with figures like Alan Kyerematen and Paul Afoko, Owusu labelled the gesture as insincere and self-serving.
“Kennedy Agyapong was the one that called for the prosecution and suspension of Paul Afoko in 2015. He haunted them out of the party for no reason. So sad”
Solomon Owusu, Movement for Change Senior Communicator
Owusu said any attempt by Kennedy Agyapong to reconcile with previously ostracised members was likely motivated by internal political calculations, as “the only time he attempted making a suggestion on it was when he was trying to woo the supporters of the Alan faction in their primaries.”
He further accused Agyapong of being a pawn in the establishment’s strategy to disrupt Alan Kyerematen’s influence within the party at the time, alleging that his entry into the flagbearer race was meant to divide Alan’s grassroots support.
Owusu said he does not sympathise with Agyapong’s current frustrations in the NPP, noting that he is simply experiencing the same exclusionary tactics he once enabled against the founder of the Movement for Change, Alan Kyerematen.
“But I know him, he will fight back,” he said, asserting that whereas Alan Kyerematen broke away from the NPP and formed the Movement for Change, Kennedy Agyapong would most likely stay put and deal with the cards he’s being dealt, boot for boot.
Observers say the NPP’s internal crisis raises broader questions about Ghana’s political maturity ahead of 2028.
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