NPP Chairmanship Race: Don’t Drag Bawumia Into This -Joe Wise Slams Rumour Mongers

Former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has called on New Patriotic Party (NPP) stakeholders to stop invoking Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s name in the party’s National Chairmanship contest, warning that the practice undermines both the flag-bearer and the integrity of the internal election.

Speaking in an interview monitored by The New Publisher, Mr. Osei-Owusu, popularly known as Joe Wise, dismissed claims that Dr. Bawumia is opposed to Boakye Agyarko’s chairmanship bid as entirely false.

“Dr. Bawumia has not said anywhere that he doesn’t want Boakye Agyarko to become NPP National Chairman,” Joe Wise said.

The former Bekwai MP pointed the finger at certain individuals within Dr. Bawumia’s inner circle, accusing them of spreading misinformation to turn delegates against Agyarko.

“It is people around him who are behind these claims,” he said. “They want a chairman they can control, so they are trying to poison the minds of delegates against Agyarko.”

Joe Wise, who serves as Senior Campaign Advisor to the Agyarko campaign, argued that using the flag-bearer’s name to influence the outcome of the chairmanship race disrespects both Dr. Bawumia and the delegates who will cast their votes on October 3.

He also rejected any suggestion of tension between Dr. Bawumia and Agyarko, noting that no evidence links the former Vice President to Agyarko’s removal as Energy Minister.

“Did you ever hear that Bawumia is the one who dismissed Agyarko or any discussion that Bawumia was involved which led to the sacking of Agyarko?” he asked.

The former Deputy Speaker emphasised that Dr. Bawumia needs a united party behind him, not one divided by competing claims of loyalty.

“The main mission of Agyarko is that Bawumia would become President. Why would he frustrate him?” Osei-Owusu said.

Joe Wise’s remarks come ahead of the NPP’s National Officers’ Elections scheduled for October 3 in Kumasi, where 47 aspirants have been cleared to contest nine national executive positions, including National Chairman.

Joe Wise urged delegates to judge each candidate on their own record rather than on perceived associations with the flag-bearer.

“Anyone who wants the development of the NPP, if you cast your mind back, you could see we need someone who commands respect, can tell you the truth and is principled,” he said.

Boakye Agyarko has repeatedly denied any rift with Dr. Bawumia, describing him as a friend and stating he personally informed the former Vice President of his chairmanship ambition without objection.

Agyarko has built his campaign around what he calls “Operation One Touch”—a strategy aimed at delivering both the presidency for Dr. Bawumia and a parliamentary majority for the NPP in 2028.

Agyarko has described the strategy in stark terms. “One touch, two victories,” he said after filing his nomination forms in Accra.

He added: “Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be sworn in as President of the Republic of Ghana, and the Majority restored to our side of the House in Parliament. A President without a Majority is a driver without a road. We must win both, and we must win them together, in one touch”.

The former Energy Minister has tied the urgency of his campaign to the NPP’s declining fortunes in Parliament since 2016. He noted that the party’s parliamentary representation fell from 169 seats in 2016 to 137 in 2020, and further to 88 in the 2024 general election. Restoring that majority, he argues, requires a National Chairman who can rebuild the party’s organisational machinery from the ground up.

To Dr. Bawumia, Agyarko has offered what he calls a “total loyalty” commitment. “A flagbearer leads the charge, but only an organised party delivers the victory,” he said. “You will never have to look over your shoulder. You will have a disciplined machine, a united front from Pusiga to Prampram, and a National Chairman whose only agenda is your success and this party’s return to office”.

Agyarko will contest from the fourth position on the ballot paper for the October 3 elections in Kumasi.