Former Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuaem, George Mireku Duker, has claimed that a wave of hostility directed at him from within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the national level is fueled by perceptions of his potential to become President of Ghana.
Speaking to grassroots party supporters at his Tarkwa residence, Duker asserted that certain national-level individuals view him as a threat due to his political prospects and the Western Region’s strategic economic importance.
Unlike his predecessor, Gifty Kusi, whom he described as “only useful for serving food to colleagues in Parliament,” Duker questioned why a prospective leader from Tarkwa should be deemed a political danger.
“Even individuals from Kyebi, Bole, and other places have risen to the presidency. It appears that if you’re from Tarkwa and the Western Region, you automatically become a threat to those nurturing presidential ambitions. I find that deeply unfair,” he said.
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His comments follow his recent appointment by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the NPP’s Western Regional Coordinator, a decision that has sharply divided opinion.
Some Western Regional NPP executives have openly opposed the appointment, describing Duker as a “divisive figure” and arguing that the party requires a unifier rather than a polarizing figure.
They cited his defeat in the last general elections, a loss in a traditional NPP stronghold, as evidence of his inability to galvanize support.
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According to the executives, the Tarkwa Nsuaem loss resulted from Duker’s “disuniting traits” rather than shifting voter loyalty.
Despite criticisms, the former MP maintains the hostility is politically calculated and rooted in fears about his rising profile.
He insists his focus remains on strengthening the party’s grassroots in the Western Region and contributing to the NPP’s success.
Watch Duker’s remarks below:
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