Former Minister and Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, KT Hammond, has sent a strong message to individuals he said derailed the campaign of the NPP and its 2024 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, through their utterances and apparent support for the then opposition NDC.

The NPP’s internal review into the party’s 2024 election defeat revealed that one of the main reasons for the loss was the conduct of some party members who openly attacked the NPP and its flagbearer. Their words, according to the review, were weaponised by the NDC during the campaign.

Addressing NPP delegates and supporters during Dr. Bawumia’s visit to Adansi Asokwa on Wednesday, KT Hammond accused such individuals of deliberately sabotaging the party for their selfish desire to lead. He said they undermined Dr. Bawumia’s campaign with divisive statements and later turned around to blame him for the party’s defeat.

“While Dr. Bawumia and all of us were going round campaigning and explaining, these people were derailing the campaign because of their selfish desire,” he said.

“You then turn around and blame Dr. Bawumia for the defeat and you say a Muslim cannot be President. What madness! What kind of madness is this?”

The veteran politician, who represented Adansi Asokwa in Parliament for 24 years, stressed that leadership is about competence and contribution, not religious background.

“When I represented the people of Adansi Asokwa as their MP for 24 years, was I not a Muslim? It’s not about your religion. It’s about your competence and what you bring on board. Dr. Bawumia has proven that he has what it takes to lead the NPP and Ghana,” he declared.

KT Hammond also criticised some NPP flagbearer aspirants for boasting about their wealth, describing them as “latter-day braggarts” who enriched themselves through the party’s time in government at the expense of those who sacrificed to build the NPP in the 1990s.