Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a hopeful for the New Patriotic Party flagbearer position, has revealed that his swift response to alleged threats and intimidation ultimately saved the life of his representative in the Bono East Region during the party’s Special Delegates Conference.
In a video captured in the early hours of Saturday, August 26, 2023, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central expressed his anger over mistreatment towards his agents.
Amidst his frustration, Agyapong declared his intention to confront President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also a candidate, in a “showdown” regarding the incident.
In his first response to the public’s mixed reactions, Kennedy Agyapong posted on Twitter that his actions on Saturday had saved one of his agents’ lives.
He denounced the treatment of his agents as unjust, stating, “I stood up against injustice, and that action saved the life of GANIU, one of my polling station agents in North East.”
Accompanying his tweet was a testimonial from Ganiu, one of his agents from the Bono East Region, detailing threats, intimidation, and attempts at inducement during the election at the polling station.
Ganiu’s account revealed, “As people lined up to vote, they displayed their ballots to those behind them. After casting their votes, the first three individuals showed their ballots to each other. Chaos erupted when the fourth person, the regional youth organiser, displayed his vote. At that point, my superior, the national campaign manager, instructed me not to sign the pink sheet.”
Ganiu continued, “Subsequently, the regional chairman offered us money, GHC2000. I declined, stating that we were not motivated by money. He persisted, attempting to increase the amount, but I remained resolute. Later, we informed him of our departure—myself, the agent of Hon Kyerematen, and Kojo Poku’s agent. He hastily locked the door, insisting that we sign before leaving the hall.”
“I told the chairman that we wouldn’t sign due to supervision. I even warned that unless they killed us, we wouldn’t leave under duress. He even threatened to unleash boys to attack us if we left,” Ganiu alleged during a press conference organized by Ken’s campaign team on Monday.
In his immediate reaction after the election, Kennedy Agyapong expressed pride and motivation from his camp’s support despite the challenges of “backbiting, intimidation, and smear campaigns” he faced. He remains optimistic about his chances of victory in the party’s general delegates election scheduled for November 4, 2023.
The August 26 election aimed to narrow down the number of candidates in the party’s flagbearer race from 10 to 5.
Kennedy Agyapong secured the second position with 132 votes, trailing behind Vice President Bawumia, who garnered 629 votes out of a total count of over 900.