Bryan Acheampong denies linking Bawumia to Mamprusi-Kusasi crisis

The campaign office of New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, Dr. Bryan Acheampong has firmly dismissed claims that he accused fellow flagbearer aspirant and former Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, of fuelling the longstanding Mamprusi-Kusasi conflict in northern Ghana.

In a statement released on Sunday, 24 August, and sighted by Citi News, the Acheampong campaign described circulating social media videos as “mischievously pieced together and venomously captioned,” insisting that the Abetifi MP’s remarks had been deliberately taken out of context.

“Dr. Acheampong has not, at any point, blamed former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the Kusasi-Mamprusi conflict,” the statement clarified. “His comments in the original video clearly stated that Dr. Bawumia was a victim of circumstances, not a cause of division.”

The campaign stressed that Dr. Acheampong holds “deep respect” for Dr. Bawumia and that his comments were intended to highlight broader political strategies that have shaped the NPP’s electoral performance in northern constituencies.

“This is a matter of record and should remain a strategic concern for the party moving forward,” the statement noted.

The clarification follows Dr. Bawumia’s strong warning on Saturday, 24 August, against what he described as “tribal and religious propaganda” being deployed in the run-up to the NPP’s 2026 presidential primaries. Speaking to supporters, the former Vice President condemned attempts to use his Mamprusi heritage against him, cautioning that such tactics threatened party cohesion.

“An aspirant has said delegates should not vote for me because I am a Mamprusi man and that I will lose votes in the Kusasi and other areas. This is very unfortunate and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the situation,” Dr. Bawumia said.

Although he did not directly name Dr. Acheampong, many observers linked the comments to the Abetifi legislator, who has previously argued that past NPP presidential candidates—such as John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo—benefited from perceptions of ethnic neutrality in the North.

Reiterating its candidate’s stance, the Acheampong campaign said: “Dr. Acheampong’s message is clear: the NPP must unite around a winning strategy and candidate. His vision is to position the NPP for decisive victory in 2028 and to govern with the strength and clarity needed to resolve the deep-rooted issues holding communities and the nation back.”

The campaign urged delegates and party members to review the full, unedited version of Dr. Acheampong’s comments before forming opinions, warning against “serial misrepresentations” aimed at sowing division.