The MPs
Fifteen (15) Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Eastern Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have strongly dismissed claims made by Dr. Bryan Acheampong suggesting that they privately apologised to him after endorsing former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the most capable candidate for the party’s flagbearership.
In a statement issued and signed by the MPs on Tuesday, September 30, they described the claims as false, divisive, and damaging to party unity.
“There is absolutely no truth in Hon. Bryan Acheampong’s assertion that some of us privately called him after our press conference to downplay our declaration,” the MPs said.
“We challenge him, in the spirit of truth and accountability, to publicly name the MPs he alleges contacted him. Until he does so, his claim remains nothing but a fabrication intended to discredit our genuine and resolute support for Dr. Bawumia,” the statement noted.
The MPs listed include Nana Ampaw Kwame Addo Frempong, Kingsley Agyemang, Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, Sammi Awuku, Ida Adjoa Asiedu, Kwame Appiah Kodua, Laurette Korkor Asante, and Duke Ofori-Atta.
The others are Alexander Agyare, Michael Okyere Baafi, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, and Charles Asuako Owiredu.
They accused Dr. Acheampong and his campaign team of deliberately spreading falsehoods to create disaffection within the constituencies.
According to them, threats had earlier been issued by his team that MPs who failed to support his candidature would face sabotage in their constituencies.
The statement further dismissed claims that campaign funds for the 2024 elections in the Eastern Region came from Dr. Acheampong’s personal resources.
The MPs explained that the funds were contributions from party financiers and businessmen supporting Dr. Bawumia’s campaign, which Dr. Acheampong only facilitated as Regional Campaign Coordinator.
“This is a calculated attempt to sow division among the rank and file of the party. For the avoidance of doubt: campaign funds disbursed in the Eastern Region during the 2024 elections did not come from the personal resources of Hon. Bryan Acheampong,” the statement added.
The MPs explained that the funds had specific instructions attached and were not intended for direct payments to polling station executives.
They noted that, in many cases, they had to supplement campaign expenses with their own resources due to discrepancies between what was promised and what was received.
“It is therefore misleading and self-serving for Hon. Bryan Acheampong to now portray himself as the personal benefactor of the Eastern Region campaign effort,” they stated, calling for transparency from the central campaign leadership on the actual disbursement.
The group reaffirmed their commitment to Dr. Bawumia’s candidacy and urged Dr. Acheampong to immediately retract what they described as “baseless and divisive” allegations.
“We, the undersigned Eastern Regional MPs, remain firm, united, and unwavering in our support for Dr. Bawumia,” the statement concluded.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah