A heated verbal exchange between former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe Abronye, disrupted proceedings during Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s national thank-you tour in the Bono Region on Monday.
The tour, aimed at rallying support and healing internal wounds following the NPP’s flagbearer primaries, took a dramatic turn in Berekum when tensions flared between the two high-profile party figures.
The confrontation nearly overshadowed the purpose of the gathering and revealed deepening cracks within the NPP’s internal ranks.
Abronye, in his welcome address, fired veiled criticisms that Kennedy Agyapong later interpreted as direct attacks on his person.
The Regional Chairman questioned the sincerity of those advocating unity within the party, suggesting that some had previously made divisive comments that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) capitalised on during the 2024 campaign. He cited findings from the post-election fact-finding committee chaired by Professor Mike Ocquaye as evidence.
The tension escalated when Abronye flatly rejected a proposal by Agyapong calling for amnesty to be granted to suspended or former party members. He argued that such a move would legitimise indiscipline and undermine the party’s rules.
He said the party needs discipline, and he does not support such a proposal, accusing those advocating reconciliation of having contributed to the party’s electoral losses through public criticism.
When it was his turn to speak, Kennedy Agyapong responded with equal force. Clearly infuriated, he warned that he could not be intimidated by anyone within the party. He launched both direct and indirect attacks on Abronye’s leadership, implying that those who contribute little financially to the party should not be the loudest in discussions about its direction. “Some people talk as if they own the party, but they don’t… Even you poor people want to speak your mind, how much more rich men like us. Who born dog?” he said, drawing murmurs from sections of the crowd.
Agyapong further attacked Abronye’s performance as regional chairman, pointing out that the NPP’s parliamentary presence in the Bono Region had dwindled to just one seat, despite the party’s national prominence.
In his defence, Abronye claimed that the region’s poor representation was the result of years of neglect from the central government.
He argued that despite the Bono Region voting overwhelmingly for the NPP in 2016 and 2020, key infrastructure requests, especially road projects, were ignored by the government between 2017 and 2024.