The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it is still engaging former trade minister Alan Kyerematen after withdrawing from the party’s flagbearer race.
Kyerematen, a flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party on Tuesday withdrew from the NPP presidential primaries.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (5 September), Kyerematen said after analysing the results of the special delegates’ conference last month, it was very clear to him that “events leading to, during and after the special delegates’ conference was [sic] strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular aspirant”.
He added that pronouncements made by some leading members of the NPP, both before and after the elections, also lend weight to his observations.
“The level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of delegates at various voting centres across the 16 regions, is unprecedented in the history of our party.
“In addition, the fact that my polling agent in the North East Region has suffered severe damage to his eyesight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will for ever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the party.
“This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other voting centres, are appalling, unconscionable and despicable,” Kyerematen said.
“Regrettably, I am not convinced that the circumstances I have referred to earlier will not persist or even be escalated in the next round of elections, for which balloting is scheduled for Wednesday, 6 September 2023.”
But speaking with Beatrice Adu on Town Hall Talk on Friday (8 September), deputy general secretary of the NPP Haruna Mohammed said the party is seeking advice from some elders of the party on the development.
“After Alan Kyerematen wrote to the party that he is not taking part in the flagberaer race, the national leadership has been engaging him because he is a senior member of this party.
“The general secretary has spoken with him and several other candidates like Boakye Agyarko, but it is not in our might to come out to tell people this is what we are doing, the NPP is a party that believe in discipline.”
“And we won’t allow anybody to take this party for a ride, I think that we are doing very well in managing the situation, but we are also seeking counsel from elders of our party and I hope we will get a very good result,” Mohammed said.
credt: Assaseradio
