Spokesperson for Kennedy Agyapong’s campaign, Kwasi Kwarteng Frimpong, has defended the conduct of New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, arguing that issuing threats can sometimes be necessary depending on the circumstances.
According to him, leadership sometimes requires firmness, including the use of threats, when situations demand it, and such actions should not be judged without full context.
Speaking on Joy News and monitored by NewsDesksGH on January 29, Kwasi Kwarteng was responding to questions about Ken Agyapong’s character, particularly his past threats against journalists, including a 2021 incident involving investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor.
“I’m not going to sit on TV and pretend. When a circumstance or a situation requires threats, the right thing to do is to issue threats, and that is the kind of leadership that we need as a country,” he stated.
He stressed that context is crucial when assessing Mr. Agyapong’s actions.
“Ken doesn’t just get up and issue threats. He’s a reasonable person, he’s a human being with conscience. As I came here, if nothing has happened to me, can I just issue threats to you? Certainly not,” he said.
Kwasi Kwarteng argued that threats do not occur in isolation and are often responses to specific situations.
“Threats will not come out of a vacuum; it will obviously come from a basis. Until we have the full opportunity to discuss the full subject matter or full situation, I don’t think it will be fair for us to say that ‘Ken issued threats’,” he noted.
“The point I’m making is we’re human beings. We have our ups and downs. We have our strengths and our shortcomings, just like any of the five aspirants,” he added.
Mr. Kwarteng maintained that Kennedy Agyapong remains a strong contender within the party.
“If you compare all the five aspirants, their strengths and their shortcomings, I can tell you that if the conversation is about who can really win power for the NPP and who can transform the socio-economic fortunes of our country through agriculture, industrialisation and tourism, I’m telling you that Ken is up there,” he said.
The New Patriotic Party is scheduled to hold its presidential primary on Friday, January 31, 2026, with five aspirants contesting to lead the party into the next general election.
The other candidates are Member of Parliament for Abetifi and former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong; former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe and former Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum; and former General Secretary of the party, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.
