Kyeremanten backs out of NPP Race ?

Information reaching the Ghanaian Palaver is that a leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Alan Kyeremanten, who recently declared his intention to contest the presidential primaries, has backed out of the race. Mr. Kyeremanten who is currently in the United Kingdom has held several meetings with some of the powers that be within the NPP in the last few months prior to arriving at this decision.

Last Tuesday, a member of Mr. Kyeremanten’s fundraising team, Nana Kwasi Bosiako, spoke to our source in London and intimated that Mr. Kyeremanten has decided not contest the presidential primaries. Instead, Alan Cash, as he is popularly known, has decided to campaign actively with whoever is endorsed by the NPP as its presidential candidate for the 2016 elections.

Nana Kwasi told our source that Mr. Kyeremanten had taken this decision after speaking to a number of donors and particularly, President Kufuor, who was in London for a Young Executive Forum breakfast event. He stated that at this time it was best for Alan’s political career that he stays away from the presidential primaries and instead focuses on winning the party’s favour. He explained that Mr. Kyeremanten would not be picking the nomination forms for the presidential primaries.

Interestingly, as at Friday, 13th June 2014, only five candidates had picked nomination forms for the NPP’s presidential primaries. These persons, the Ghanaian Palaver learned, included Nana Akufo-Addo, Osei Ameyaw, Asamoah Boateng, Addai Nimo and Kofi Konadu Apraku. Alan Kyeremanten had not picked his nomination forms as at the time of this story.

Alan Kyeremanten is viewed as the strongest competitor to Nana Akufo-Addo having contested in the presidential primaries twice and lost to the former Attorney General and Minister for Foreign Affairs. However, the feeling amongst the NPP’s large electoral college is in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo and is expected that Alan will do much worse this time around.

With Alan out of the race, the door is now opened to other contestants to challenge Akufo-Addo. Joe Ghartey, the former Attorney General and pupil of Akufo-Addo seems to be the next best choice. Mr. Ghartey’s spokesperson informed the Ghanaian Palaver that his boss will be picking his nomination forms on Monday, 16th June 2014.

As it stands, the NPP will have no choice than to constitute a Special Electoral College to trim the number of contestants to 5.

-- Editor Ghanaian Palaver ghanaianpalaver@gmail.com