The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has firmly denied allegations that he and the party’s National Organiser used a recent overseas trip to campaign for the former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia ahead of the party’s presidential primaries.

In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, Kodua described the accusations circulating on social media as “factually inaccurate, baseless and needless.”

The accusations were first made in a video circulating online, in which a man identified as Shaibu Lasisi claimed that Justin Kodua and the National Organiser traveled with Dr. Bawumia to Belgium, Holland, and the United Kingdom with the intention of endorsing his presidential bid.

Lasisi also alleged that the two senior party officials lobbied members of the NPP's foreign branches to adopt a “top-bottom” approach to internal party elections—implying centralized candidate imposition.

But Justin Kodua has categorically dismissed those claims, offering a detailed account of the trip to counter the narrative.

According to him, the visit to Belgium was strictly to participate in a conference organized by the International Democrat Union (IDU), a global alliance of center-right political parties, of which the NPP is a member.

“We did not attend any branch or party meeting in Belgium,” he stated, adding that party executives in Belgium could corroborate this.

He further explained that after the conference, he and the National Organiser traveled to Holland on Friday, May 16, 2025, to visit the family of Adabanka, the late founder of NPP Holland, to offer condolences.

Justin Kodua noted that the National Organiser left Holland earlier and that he, Kodua, met with the Holland branch of the party alone on Sunday, May 18.

“At no point did I discuss any personality. It was an open meeting,” he said, insisting that there was no political lobbying involved.

Political Tensions Ahead of NPP Primaries

The controversy surfaces at a time of heightened political activity within the NPP, as internal campaigning intensifies ahead of the party’s presidential primaries.

While Dr. Bawumia is widely viewed as the frontrunner, the party’s leadership has repeatedly called for neutrality and unity to preserve party cohesion.

Kodua’s response appears aimed not only at clearing his name but also at reinforcing the neutrality of the party’s administrative machinery.

“It is clearly a contrived machination by my detractors who are bent on peddling falsehoods just to run me and the leadership of the party down,” he said.

Call for Responsible Journalism

In closing, Kodua issued a caution to individuals and media practitioners spreading the video.

He emphasized the importance of integrity and professionalism in journalism, noting that “people who choose to practice [journalism] must do so with credibility and honesty.”

The NPP General Secretary urged party supporters and the public to disregard the circulating video and treat it “with the utmost contempt it deserves."