Thank-You Tour: “Even poor people want to speak their minds” – Ken Agyapong blasts Abronye

A gathering intended to celebrate unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) turned contentious in Berekum on Monday when internal divisions came to the fore during Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s national thank-you tour.

What began as a routine stop on the tour quickly shifted tone as former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe—popularly known as Abronye—engaged in a heated exchange over the party’s direction following its performance in the 2024 general elections.

Abronye, addressing the crowd in his opening remarks, stressed the importance of discipline and loyalty within the party. He pointed to a post-election report led by former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, and suggested that internal dissent during the campaign season had weakened the NPP and emboldened the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He was particularly critical of calls to welcome back suspended or sidelined members, arguing that doing so could weaken party structures and reward disloyalty. Without naming names, his comments appeared aimed at senior figures within the party—including Agyapong—who had advocated for reconciliation.

Agyapong did not hold back in his response. He defended his push for unity and inclusion, stating that the party must bring everyone back into the fold if it hoped to regain momentum ahead of the next election. He also dismissed suggestions that party contributors and financiers should be silenced or sidelined.

“Even poor people want to speak their mind—how much more those of us who have sacrificed for this party?” he said, sparking a mix of cheers and murmurs from the audience.

He went further to criticise the Bono Region's leadership for what he described as a weakening of grassroots support, implying that poor regional management had contributed to the party’s electoral setbacks.

The confrontation highlighted not just a clash of personalities, but also deeper tensions over how the NPP should rebuild after a difficult election cycle. What was meant to be a moment of gratitude and unity ended up exposing fractures that party leadership may need to urgently address as it looks toward the future.