Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, has refuted claims by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong suggesting that he and other northern MPs are engaged in tribal politics in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primary.
According to him, a video circulating online purportedly showing him urging delegates not to vote for Kennedy Agyapong is an old 2023 recording that is being mischievously presented as new.
“This 2023 video has been misleadingly presented by Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and his team as a recent recording. I have not mentioned Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s name in any of my campaign engagements in 2025,” Nitiwul stated.
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The video in question captures Nitiwul advising delegates in Yendi during the 2023 NPP presidential primaries not to support Kennedy Agyapong. According to the former Defence Minister, his comments at the time were a direct response to ethnocentric remarks Agyapong had allegedly made in the Western and Central regions about northerners holding several ministerial portfolios.
A statement issued by the former Defence Minister noted that Kennedy Agyapong questioned why too many northerners had been appointed ministers, a claim Nitiwul says is inaccurate.
“In reality, only six northerners held sector ministerial positions out of approximately 26 at the time,” Nitiwul emphasized.
Kennedy Agyapong has alleged that he possesses video and audio recordings of northern MPs campaigning against him based on ethnicity. But Nitiwul insists no such evidence exists.
“I challenge him to produce these videos and audios. I can confidently assert that Kennedy Agyapong and his team have no such evidence,” he said.
He added that personal promises Agyapong made to northern MPs would have easily secured their support if they were motivated by self-interest.
The Bimbilla MP stressed that northerners in the NPP have never voted based on ethnicity, citing past presidential primary outcomes to support his argument.
He referred to the 1996 and 2007 primaries, where northern delegates supported John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo over northern candidates Hon. Malik Alhassan and former Vice President Aliu Mahama.
“We are supporting Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia today because we believe he is the best to lead, not because he comes from the north,” he stated.
Mr. Nitiwul also accused Kennedy Agyapong of making new tribal remarks during a recent meeting in Abuakwa, where he allegedly described northerners as a minority group unfit to lead.
“It is unfortunate and unacceptable for a presidential candidate to imply that someone is unfit to lead due to his ethnicity,” he lamented.
Despite the provocation, he said northern MPs have collectively decided not to escalate the issue for the sake of unity within the NPP.
Reflecting on his service to the country, the former Minister reminded the public that he became Deputy Minority Leader at age 35 and later Ghana’s Defence Minister at 39, serving eight years without blemish.
“Throughout my tenure, I did not engage in corrupt practices. I am not rich and I do not come from a rich home. All I have in this world is my reputation… and I will never allow anyone, including Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, to tarnish it,” he said.
Hon. Nitiwul appealed to Ghanaians to ignore the recycled video and urged Kennedy Agyapong to desist from spreading misinformation ahead of the 2028 general elections.