Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has cautioned members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against promoting the idea that the party’s presidential candidate must always come from the Akan ethnic group.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu described such sentiments as “dangerous” and divisive, warning that they could alienate other ethnic and religious groups whose support remains vital to the party’s national appeal.
“Some people even say that because the party’s support base is in Akan, we should fill it with an Akan [person]. To me, that is the most dangerous statement,” he said.
The Suame legislator argued that the NPP’s strength lies in its diversity, stressing that the notion of ethnic entitlement to leadership contradicts the inclusive spirit the party was built upon.
“If you insist on always having an Akan as your presidential candidate, those who are making those statements, can you go to the Muslim communities in the North to campaign? When you think that they don’t deserve to lead the party,” he questioned.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu urged party faithful to reject ethnic favoritism and focus instead on competence, experience, and unity ahead of the next general elections.
“That is why I’m saying that that is a very dangerous statement and should not be encouraged at all,” he reiterated.
