Former President John Agyekum Kufuor
Observers are saying that former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s recent reflections in which he reminisces the  internal plots by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to prevent him from seeking the flagbearership again after he lost the 1996 presidential election offer important lessons for flagbearer hopeful Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He described these experiences as a period of “thick plot” involving wild propaganda and false accusations intended to force him out of the party leadership race ahead of the 2000 elections.
According to him, some party insiders falsely accused him of diverting approximately $100,000 in campaign funds into a private bank account in the United States. The allegations led the NPP, under then-chairman Peter Ala Adjetey, to establish an investigative committee led by A. K. Deku. The committee ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing when those who made the claims could not substantiate them.
Despite securing 39% of the vote in 1996—a figure Kufuor considered exceptional for a first attempt—some party members wanted “to see the back of him” and argued he should not be presented as the candidate again.
During the run-up to the 1998 Sunyani congress, rival aspirant JH Mensah, he recalled, reportedly described him as a “rejected cassava” that was unworthy of being taken to the market again.
Despite the internal opposition, NPP delegates re-elected Kufuor at the 1998 Sunyani congress for the sake of “consistent marketing”. The delegates’ decision was vindicated when Kufuor defeated the incumbent government’s candidate, Prof. JEA Mills, in the 2000 general election.
The respected former President, in his reflections, has likened the bitter rivalries in recent NPP campaigns to his own situation 30 years ago.
He has urged the party to select leaders based on individual competence rather than ethnic or religious affiliations to shed the “tribal party” label.
Kufuor has warned against bribing voters, stating that people may take money but will still vote for real leadership and trust.
He has also cautioned current aspirants against “big egos” and a sense of entitlement, emphasising that unity is necessary for political power.