The First Vice Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), F. F. Anto, has described as “divisive” the recent tribal comments made by the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on who leads the NPP as presidential candidate going into the 2024 general election.
Mr Anto, who hails from the Ashanti Region, chastised the Majority Leader at a meeting with party grassroots on Wednesday, April 8, 2024, in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
The meeting, which recorded almost all the NPP national executives, formed part of the ‘thank you tour’ being embarked upon by the executives across the country.
Mr Anto’s condemnation comes in as the latest from party bigwigs who have reacted to the Majority Leader’s view that it will be unwise to field another Akan presidential candidate after Prof. Adu Boahen, former President John Agyekum Kufuor and President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Addressing the gathering of party faithful, Mr
Anto criticised the Majority Leader, stating that “the Majority Leader should know better.
“Such unguarded comments are divisive” and entreated party leaders to be circumspect in their commentary.
Reacting to the statement by Mr Anto, the party Chairman, Freddie Blay, together with other national executives present including the General Secretary, John Boadu, the National Organiser, Sammy Awuku, took the opportunity to condemn the comments of the Majority Leader and asked the party men and women to disregard such comments.
It would be recalled that Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in a recent interview with Joy News, remarked that after having fielded three Akans as presidential candidates for the NPP, it would be unwise for the NPP to field another Akan as flag bearer for election 2024.
According to the Majority Leader, the purpose of his view is to deal with the “akanistic” tag being propagated by the opposition National Democratic Congress.
The Majority Leader’s opinion has since been met with fierce opposition and condemnation by some members of the NPP.
Most critics of the leader’s comment on both social media and traditional media platforms were unhappy with the Majority Leader for focusing on tribal and ethnic considerations.