Alan Kyerematen to pull out of NPP presidential primaries?
The Alan Kyerematen camp is divided about his fate, with many nervous as to what his next step might be if, indeed, he has decided to pull out
Long-standing presidential hopeful of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, is expected to announce his decision to pull-out of the 4 November 2023, presidential primaries of the NPP at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday, 5 September 2023, Asaase News has gathered.
That may not surprise many people because of his poor showing in the first round of voting in August by the party to trim down the numbers to five from the ten aspirants.
His camp is divided on his fate and with many of his core supporters nervous as to what his next step might be, if indeed, he has decided to pull out.
The speculation is that Alan may be considering to run in the December 2024 presidential race but he did not clearly tell his supportersand coodinators the route he will use at a meeting he held with them on Sunday night.
Possible A4P decisions
Mr Kyerematen and his campaign team (Alan 4 President, A4P), have been relatively silent after the 26 August 2023 special electoral college elections held in all 16 regional capitals and an additional centre at the NPP party headquarters.
However, the “A4P” team on Sunday 3 September 2023, announced that its presidential aspirant, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, will be addressing the press on the advertised date of 5 September. The announcement immediately generated debate among the NPP rank and file as to what exactly Mr Kyerematen is likely to say.
At Tuesday’s press conference, if Alan Kyerematen announces that he intends to contest the November NPP presidential primaries, it will be no news because he is one of the five persons shortlisted for the contest on 4 November 2023, after the party’s special electoral college polls.
This is his fourth attempt to lead the party since 2007, losing on the previous three occasions to Nana Akufo-Addo.
Should Alan announce that he will not be contesting the presidential primaries, as projected by Asaase News, that will also not come as a surprise because of his poor showing on 26 August, where he polled a mere 95 votes representing 10.29% out of the 927 valid votes cast.
Seen by many as the heir presumptive after Akufo-Addo, to be beaten to third place by two new entrants, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP, have mightily deflated his dwindling supporters.
His bad showing will also make it extremely difficult to raise the necessary funds to campaign across the country, meeting the delegates, who are in excess of 200,000.
Outcome of SEC polls
Four of the ten candidates in the August race were contesting for the first time. The other two were Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Kwadwo Poku, who placed 4th and 9th respectively.
The other known faces who contested the special electoral college polls were Joe Ghartey (placed 8th), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong (7th), Francis Addai Nimoh (tied in 5th place), Kofi Konadu Apraku (10th) and Boakye Agyarko (joint 5th).
Alan was confidently projected by his team to win last August’s polls in the Ashanti, Volta, and Greater Accra Regions, whiles battling it out in the Central Region with the MP for Assin Central, Mr Agyapong. However, in Ashanti, Alan managed to poll 10 votes, Kennedy polled 6 votes, Owusu Afriyie, 5, with Vice President Bawumia running off with 97 of the valid votes cast.
In the Central Region, Alan polled a mere 4 votes, Kennedy Agyapong, 19 votes, Owusu Afriyie 3, Joe Ghartey 1, Kwadwo Poku 1, Boakye Agyarko 1 and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia polled 25 votes.
Alan and Kennedy both polled 4 votes each in the Volta Region and Owusu Afriyie got 3 votes, Francis Addai-Nimoh 1 vote and the Vice President received 29 of the total valid votes cast. Mr Kyerematen had expected his votes from Volta to be a lot more handsome.
In the Greater Accra Region, Alan and Kennedy polled 14 and 15 of the valid votes cast, respectively, and the Vice President polled 36 votes.
In essence, Alan came a distant second or third in all 16 regions, losing by worrying margins, all four regions he had expected a decent showing.
The reality is that his poor showing has literally killed his “Aduru Wo So” (It is my turn) mantra. Alan’s wide margin loss to the sitting Vice President, raises serious concerns in his team about his ability to raise funds for the upcoming NPP presidential primaries even if the appetite remains intact.
Reasons for poll-out
What may be the issue of concern for his supporters should he (Alan) pull-out of the NPP presidential primaries, will be what his reasons will be for his decision not to contest the presidential primaries any longer and what remains of his political future.
Mr Kyerematen, according to Asaase News sources close to his campaign, is likely to state that the leadership of NPP has whipped the party to support one particular candidate [the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia] and to that end, he does not think he will be given a fair playing field in the upcoming contest.
His critics will, however, point to his low numbers across board, and for his third place spot to suspect otherwise.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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