BY Issah Olegor
Former Minister of Defence and Bimbilla Member of Parliament, Dominic Nitiwul, has publicly challenged claims made by NPP presidential aspirant, Kennedy Agyapong, regarding alleged tribal campaigning against him by northern MPs.
In a press statement released on Monday, Nitiwul insisted that a video circulating online, purportedly from the 2025 campaign season, is in fact a recording from the 2023 NPP presidential primaries in Yendi.
The former Defence Minister explained that the video shows him advising delegates in Yendi not to vote for Kennedy Agyapong due to remarks he made in the Western and Central regions, in which he suggested that northerners had been disproportionately appointed to ministerial positions under President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Agyapong had specifically criticized the appointments of the Vice President, Interior Minister, Defence Minister, Sports Minister, Lands Minister, and Tourism Minister, all of whom were northerners, implying that such appointments denied opportunities to other regions.
Nitiwul clarified that only six northerners held sector ministerial positions at the time out of a total of 26 ministers
Nitiwul, who served as the coordinator of northern appointees during that period, said he felt compelled to respond to what he described as “biased and ethnocentric statements.”
He emphasized that since his 2023 remarks, he has not mentioned Agyapong name in any campaign engagement, highlighting that the current release of the video is misleading.
“I urge all well-meaning Ghanaians to disregard this recycled video, which Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and his team are attempting to portray as new,” Nitiwul stated.
He further challenged Agyapong to produce any evidence supporting claims that northern MPs have engaged in tribal campaigns against him or the Akan people.
“I can confidently assert that Kennedy Agyapong and his team have no such evidence,” he said.
The former Minister also addressed the broader issue of ethnic politics within the NPP, citing historical examples to refute accusations of northern tribalism.
He noted that in previous presidential primaries, northern delegates had supported candidates from other regions when they deemed them best suited to lead.
He cited the 1996 primaries, when Malik Alhassan did not receive northern support, and 2007, when then-Vice President Aliu Mahama was not endorsed by northern delegates, who instead supported Nana Akufo-Addo.
According to Nitiwul, the support for former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in 2025 is based on merit, not ethnicity.
