A seemingly jovial exchange between former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Dr. Bryan Acheampong, former Minister for Food and Agriculture, has sparked fresh conversation around the intensifying contest for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2028 presidential slot.
The moment, captured on video during the final funeral rites of the late Mamponghene, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, showed Bawumia smiling and teasing Acheampong with the remark, “You want to worry me”—a statement interpreted by political watchers as a veiled acknowledgment of Acheampong’s rumored ambition to challenge him for the party’s flagbearership.
While the exchange was light-hearted on the surface, it underscored the subtle maneuvering already underway as leading figures within the NPP begin positioning themselves for the party’s next big internal showdown.
Dr. Bawumia, who led the NPP into the 2024 elections but failed to clinch victory, is reportedly eyeing another run in 2028, despite growing criticism within some factions of the party. His former cabinet colleague, Bryan Acheampong, the MP for Abetifi and owner of Rock City Hotel, is said to be quietly building grassroots support for a potential bid.
Several other names have also emerged in the early speculation phase, including Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, and Kennedy Agyapong, the outspoken former MP for Assin Central who placed second in the NPP’s 2023 flagbearership race.
Adding fuel to the intra-party debate, Kennedy Agyapong used the solemn occasion in Mampong to send a strong message to the NPP base: failure should not be rewarded with second chances.
“We didn’t give Adu Boahen another shot after he lost. Why should it be different now?” he asked, in a pointed reference to Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 defeat to the NDC’s John Mahama.
His comments highlight growing tensions in the party, where some believe a fresh face is needed to revitalize the NPP’s public appeal and break away from the baggage of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia era.
The funeral, attended by a who’s who of Ghanaian politics, doubled as a subtle political theatre, with key players engaging in both public diplomacy and behind-the-scenes talks. The casual banter between Bawumia and Acheampong served as a symbolic moment—signalling that the race for 2028 may already be underway, even if unofficially.
Observers note that the path to the NPP’s next flagbearer contest will likely be shaped not just by ambition, but by how the party chooses to interpret its 2024 defeat: as an anomaly or a call for transformation.
