As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for presidential primaries, a former legislator has questioned the sincerity behind former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s recent appeals for party unity, describing them as political “grandstanding.”

In a critique on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, former Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini suggested that Akufo-Addo’s oratory, while compelling, often lacks genuine conviction.

“Nana Akufo-Addo is noted for grandstanding. He will make all the speeches, but he never believes in those speeches,” Mr Fuseini stated.

“I'm sure they are tapping each other and asking if it's the beard that makes him old.”

The comments came just days after Akufo-Addo presided over a peace pact signing ceremony in Accra, where he urged the five flagbearer aspirants to embrace unity and accept the primary’s outcome for the party’s greater good.

He drew on historical examples from the NPP’s 1992 primaries and invoked biblical wisdom to underscore his message.

However, Fuseini, a seasoned member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), dismissed the event as performative.

He pointed to what he called a pattern of lofty rhetoric throughout Akufo-Addo’s career, from his denouncement of party vigilantes to his promotion of a “new civilization” agenda.

“This is grandstanding. From vigilantes to new civilization… Grandstanding,” he asserted.

Mr Fuseini did not dispute Akufo-Addo’s renowned eloquence, acknowledging that “all of us know in this country that Akufo-Addo has the gift of the gab… He's always a good orator.”

His contention, rather, was with the perceived gap between speech and substantive belief or action.

While Akufo-Addo’s speeches have often been hailed for their clarity and vision, opponents have occasionally framed them as spectacles designed more for public impression than for driving tangible internal discipline or change.

The former MP’s remarks cast a shadow over the NPP’s carefully staged display of unity ahead of the January 31 primaries.

With high-stakes competition among the candidates, the party’s elders are keen to project cohesion.

Yet, Fuseini’s intervention suggests that for some observers, the real test lies not in signing peace documents or delivering unifying speeches, but in whether the aspirants and their supporters will genuinely subordinate personal ambition to party interest after the ballots are counted.

“Who doesn’t know this?” Mr Fuseini asked, referring to the principle of putting the party first.

“It's just like if you are a Ghanaian and you take the oath that you are a Ghanaian. You can't hold yourself above the country.”