BY Daniel Bampoe
The internal contest within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the January 2026 presidential primaries has taken a sharper turn as former Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond, has strongly defended Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia while lashing out at critics, particularly Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
Speaking during Dr. Bawumia’s campaign tour of the Ashanti Region on September 10, Hammond accused some party figures of sowing division by portraying the Vice President as financially disadvantaged and therefore unfit to lead the NPP.
Clash Over Wealth and Influence
In recent months, Kennedy Agyapong, who is also vying for the NPP presidential slot, has consistently argued that the party needs a leader with financial strength and independence.
Without mentioning names directly, he has made several references to candidates he describes as being “poor” and dependent on state resources or party structures for survival—comments widely interpreted as digs at Dr. Bawumia.
K.T. Hammond, however, dismissed these remarks as elitist and divisive, insisting that wealth has never been the foundation of the NPP’s progress.
“Where were the rich people when we were struggling to get money to establish the NPP in the 1990s? Where were they when we were fighting in the trenches before our first victory in 2000?” Hammond asked.
“Some of us fought for this party with our blood and sweat. We didn’t need to brag about riches. So let no one think being rich is a qualification for leadership.”
He went further to argue that, if the narrative is about poverty and wealth, then Vice President Bawumia better represents the struggles and sacrifices of the ordinary Ghanaian.
“Bawumia is the poor they talk about. But he is the symbol of hope for the masses. This behaviour of looking down on people because they don’t boast of riches must stop. The innuendos must stop, and disunity must stop,” Hammond declared.
The Larger Struggle for Party Unity
The NPP has a history of bruising internal contests, but the current race has exposed sharp divisions.
Kennedy Agyapong has positioned himself as a grassroots candidate who has used his personal wealth to support party structures, while Bawumia’s camp emphasizes his economic expertise and role in stabilizing the country during crises.
K. T Hammond, a party stalwart since the early 1990s, cautioned that disunity and personal attacks could undermine the NPP’s chances in the 2028 general elections.
“Unity and discipline are the only guarantees of victory. If we allow insults and divisions to grow, we will hand our opponents the advantage,” he warned.
