New Patriotic Party (NPP) national chairman, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, has hastily retreated from the chaotic ‘thank you’ tour carried out by the opposition party, darting back to Accra from the bloodied battleground.
The party, which has been spiraling further into turmoil since the commencement of the tour, attributes Ntim’s abrupt about-face to urgent matters that demand his attention.
In a statement released on Thursday May 1, Communications Director Richard Ahiagbah asserted that the national chairman remains staunchly devoted to the controversial tour and will rejoin the team once he has concluded his current obligations.
“The National chairman stays steadfast in his commitment to the tour and will rendezvous with the team in due time. The party expresses gratitude for the continuous support of all members,” he declared in the succinct statement.
During a subsequent interview, Ahiagbah insinuated that the primary reason for the national chairman’s absence is tied to the planned demonstration by the NPP against the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.
The protest is scheduled to take place on Monday May 5 in Accra. Nevertheless, skeptics have dismissed the party’s explanation as a mere facade.
According to these suspicious minds, the chairman is purportedly retreating to ensure his own safety following the intense and violent tour which culminated in an assault and stabbing incident involving a supporter of Ken Agyapong in Kumasi, located within the Ashanti Region.
Ntim, who had been accompanying the team led by former presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has been partially faulted for failing to assert influence within the party as a senior figure.
He was present and prominently seated in the front row during the tour in the Bono Region when Ken Agyapong, a contender for the 2028 presidential primaries, engaged in heated verbal altercations with Regional chairman Kwame Baffoe, also known as Abronye DC.
Critics often accuse him of not embodying the leadership requisite for the party. Since his election approximately four years prior, Ntim has been described as a passive and inactive leader. A direct comparison is drawn to National Democratic Congress (NDC) national chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who some within the NPP regard as lively, vibrant, and competent. While Ntim purportedly followed the crowd during the December campaign, Nketia, also known as Mosquito, actively campaigned alongside his team, contributing to the success of the now-governing party.
Nketia is widely hailed for the NDC’s triumph, juxtaposed with Ntim being partly censured for his perceived lack of involvement in the preceding campaign efforts.
Meanwhile, former chief of staff under former President John Kufuor, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, has criticized the tour as a misguided endeavor.
“The entire exercise is misplaced. What are we thanking them for? For not voting for us, or what? So, I don’t think this is the moment for such a venture,” Mpiani opined during an interview on Joynews on April 29.
This condemnation follows the violent incident involving a supporter of Ken, the clashes between Abronye and former Member of Parliament for the Assin Central constituency, and the confrontations triggered by Dr Bawumia’s analysis of the party’s defeat.
Furthermore, the withdrawal of Agyapong from the tour subsequent to the stabbing of his supporter, a student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has added to the tumultuous atmosphere.
Despite opposition, the NPP has pressed on with the tour, having already visited the Western and Bono Regions, among others.