By Gifty Boateng
Loyalists of Kennedy Agyapong are methodically constructing a political structure to challenge the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from within its own disaffected ranks, positioning the maverick businessman for a third presidential bid in 2028.
What began as a support vehicle, ‘The Base Movement’, is now openly preparing to transmute into a full political party, threatening to accelerate the NPP’s fragmentation as it struggles to regroup against President John Mahama’s administration.
The initiative is spearheaded by George Oti Bonsu, a former NPP financier and business associate of Agyapong. Bonsu’s profile was elevated by a high-profile 2024 land dispute in Adjirigannor, where his partially constructed ten-storey building was demolished.
At the time, the incident was weaponised politically, with Agyapong’s camp alleging the influence of then-vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira. Bonsu now frames the new political project as a necessity, stating that Agyapong’s “good intentions” must not be “wasted.”
While the movement’s banners carry the patriotic slogan “Ghana first Jobs for the youth” and an eagle symbol, organisers insist the forthcoming party will bear a different name.
Strategic meetings have been held at constituency and regional levels, with the most recent sessions on 18 and 19 March. Insiders claim the movement captures “99%” of the grassroots NPP base disillusioned after Agyapong’s second consecutive primary loss to Bawumia on 31 January.
Despite Agyapong’s public concession and pledge of support after placing second in the acrimonious primary, his loyalists have not concealed their intent to splinter the party.
A senior figure within the movement, described as a political communications analyst, predicts a “further 15% reduction” in Bawumia’s vote share by 2028, framing the Base’s emergence as “the beginning of further disintegration of the NPP.”
The movement is particularly incensed by NPP claims that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is covertly backing the initiative to destabilise the party. This counter-narrative, they argue, has only hardened their resolve.
Agyapong himself has maintained an ambiguous posture. Since the primary, he has conspicuously absented himself from key NPP events, including the unity visit to Bawumia’s residence and a national thanksgiving service at the University of Professional Studies-Accra (UPS-A), opting instead for a video message to thank delegates.
The Base’s manoeuvring echoes the trajectory of Alan Kyerematen, who left the NPP after the 2023 primary to form Movement for Change, contested the 2024 election as an independent, and has since launched a fully-fledged United Party (UP).
With Kyerematen already operating outside the NPP’s fold, the potential exit of Agyapong’s camp would represent a second major haemorrhage of support from the party’s traditional base, severely complicating its efforts to present a unified front ahead of the next general election.