Kwaku Kwarteng, the Member of Parliament for Obuasi West, has argued that outspoken former legislator and businessman Kennedy Ohene Agyapong offers the New Patriotic Party (NPP) its best chance of renewal and electoral victory as the party prepares to choose its presidential candidate on Jan. 31, 2026.
Speaking on The Point of View, a current affairs programme hosted by Bernard Avle, Kwarteng said the upcoming primary presents NPP delegates with a defining choice: whether to present familiar faces and messages that failed in the 2024 elections, or to embrace a new political direction capable of reconnecting the party with a disillusioned electorate.
“The question delegates will be answering is whether we go into 2028 with the same old messages and faces that we lost badly with in 2024, or whether we offer Ghanaians a new face and a new party,” Kwarteng said. He argued that public anger following the party’s defeat must be addressed through bold change rather than continuity.
Kwarteng, a former deputy finance minister and a key member of Agyapong’s campaign, described the former Assin Central MP as a rare political figure capable of “disrupting the status quo” across Ghana’s political divide. According to him, Agyapong’s appeal lies not in perfection but in a willingness to confront entrenched problems that have hindered economic growth and job creation.
He acknowledged that Agyapong, like other senior figures in the NPP, bears some responsibility for past governance failures. However, he said the critical issue is recognising that the country has been on the wrong path and demonstrating the courage to lead change.
“We have gone to the IMF too many times, our youth are on the streets without jobs, and frustration is growing,” Kwarteng said. “It is the person who recognises this and is willing to lead a different kind of leadership who deserves support.”
Addressing concerns that Agyapong lacks the composure traditionally associated with the presidency, Kwarteng rejected suggestions that his forthright style disqualifies him from national leadership. He pointed to Agyapong’s six terms in Parliament and his business background as evidence of political endurance and managerial discipline.
“What people call temperament, I call strength,” he said, arguing that Ghana needs a leader with the toughness to confront corruption, waste and poor decision-making at the highest levels of government.
Kwarteng also pushed back against comparisons with former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, whose supporters cite his experience and calm demeanour as key assets. He said the 2024 election results signalled voter dissatisfaction with elite politics and warned that repeating familiar patterns risks further voter apathy and instability.
“This is not about speaking good English at the United Nations and coming home to deliver poor leadership,” he said. “We need results.”
Despite internal debates over the timing of the primaries, Kwarteng said the party must now rally behind the process and make the best of its decision to choose a flagbearer early in the electoral cycle.
He expressed confidence that Agyapong would win the contest decisively, predicting a “one-touch” victory, and urged delegates to see the primary as an opportunity to reset the party’s image ahead of the 2028 general elections.
“This is a chance to present a fresh face to Ghanaians,” Kwarteng said. “Together, we can fix this country.”