Former Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has disclosed that internal party politics and strategic decisions within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led to his removal as majority leader, paving the way for Alexander Afenyo-Markin to take over.
Speaking on Asempa FM on Tuesday, March 4, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed that he was warned in advance about President Akufo-Addo’s intention to replace him.
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“Some of my colleagues, about 80 MPs, informed me ahead of time that the president wanted me out. Many MPs encouraged me to fight back, assuring me of their support,” he said.
Despite this, he chose to step aside to prevent further divisions within the party. “I didn’t want to be the eye of any storm in the party. I felt I had had enough, so I decided to resign and said it there and then,” he explained.
He recounted that before the elections, President Akufo-Addo convened an emergency meeting, expressing concerns about the NPP’s weakening influence in the Central Region, especially with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) gaining ground.
According to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the president believed that with Naana Opoku-Agyemang likely to be John Mahama’s running mate and Ato Forson serving as the Minority Leader, the NDC would gain an advantage in the region.
To counter this, Akufo-Addo saw Afenyo-Markin, who hails from the Central Region, as a more strategic choice for the NPP’s leadership in Parliament.
“Most MPs disagreed with this reasoning, but I saw where things were headed. Rather than complicate matters, I stepped aside,” he said.
His decision to resign has since reshaped the party’s parliamentary leadership, with Afenyo-Markin now leading the NPP caucus in Parliament.
