Fred Oware, Senior Advisor to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2024 presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed claims by Abetifi MP, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, that he singlehandedly financed Bawumia’s 2023 presidential primary bid in the Eastern Region.
According to Oware, the allegations are baseless and amount to an attempt to discredit Dr. Bawumia’s clean victory in the NPP’s internal contest.
Speaking on Pure FM on Wednesday, August 27, Oware, a former vice chairman of the party said Acheampong may have been deceived into thinking his supposed financial support was used on behalf of Bawumia.
“Bryan was scammed. Nobody paid delegates in the Eastern Region for Dr. Bawumia. His victory was built on his own message, his track record, and the confidence delegates had in him. To say otherwise is to undermine the will of the party’s grassroots,” Oware stressed.
Acheampong’s Explosive Claims
Bryan Acheampong, who also served as Minister of Food and Agriculture, had earlier stirred controversy when he declared himself the biggest financier in the history of the NPP.
Speaking to delegates at his Kwahu Rock City Hotel, he alleged that Bawumia contributed nothing financially during the primaries.
Instead, he claimed to have funded the campaign in the Eastern Region entirely, disbursing $1,500 each to each of the super delegates to secure Bawumia’s win.
“In 2023, Dr. Bawumia did not bring a penny into the Eastern Region. I paid every single penny for him to become flagbearer of this party,” Bryan Acheampong alleged, stressing that he bore the full financial responsibility.
Beyond that, Acheampong boasted of spending more on the NPP in the 2024 general elections than he had on President Nana Akufo-Addo’s historic 2016 victory.
He cited examples such as paying GH¢100,000 monthly to 27 parliamentary candidates in the Eastern Region and doling out GH¢2 million each to 26,000 polling station executives.
“I have spent more on this party than any individual since its formation in 1992,” Acheampong declared, daring anyone to challenge his record.
Financing and Factions Within the NPP
Bryan Acheampong’s claims reopened an uncomfortable conversation within the NPP about the role of money in internal elections.
The party has long relied on wealthy financiers—both locally and from the diaspora—who have underpinned its campaign machinery during election seasons.
Bryan Acheampong, however, appears to be positioning himself as the party’s chief banker, suggesting that his financial contributions surpass all predecessors.
His remarks, though, have attracted mixed reactions: some interpret them as an attempt to assert political influence ahead of the 2026 primaries, while others see them as unnecessary boasting that could deepen divisions.
Fred Oware’s Response
But Fred Oware insists Acheampong’s story does not add up. He argued that the NPP’s internal election was free and fair and that no single individual could claim to have “bought” the party’s democratic processes.
“Our delegates are discerning; they chose Dr. Bawumia because they believed in him, not because someone lined their pockets. Bryan must have been scammed, because such claims simply do not reflect what happened,” Fred Oware stated.
He cautioned party members not to allow such allegations to derail the NPP’s unity ahead of the 2026 presidential primary.
“We should not lose focus. Dr. Bawumia is committed to leading the NPP with humility and integrity, and the party must rally behind him,” he said.
The Road to 2026
With the NPP preparing for what promises to be a heated flagbearer race in January 2026, tensions are high.
Current polls place Dr. Bawumia in a commanding lead with over 50% delegate support, followed by Kennedy Agyapong, while Acheampong trails at just 3%, according to Global Info Analytics.
Bryan Acheampong’s financial chest-thumping could be a strategy to remind delegates of his influence—or a miscalculation that paints him as divisive. For now, his words have set off fresh debates about money, loyalty, and the true cost of political power within the NPP.
