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Opinions of Friday, 1 September 2023

Columnist: Lawrence Appiah-Osei

Alan’s opportunity came but once

NPP flagbearer hopeful, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen NPP flagbearer hopeful, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen

The much talked about NPP’s Super Delegates Congress has come and gone but it has made the NPP more saddened, divided, and confused than before the congress.

Dr. Bawumia won but couldn’t even make the 70% votes; Ken Agyapong came in second but the difference between him and Dr. Bawumia is so wide that his followers know the road ahead will not be easy; the biggest loser, Alan Kyerematen didn’t get 100 votes out of over 900 votes.

At the moment, the political career of Alan is almost over unless a serious miracle happens on November 4, that is even if he will stay in the race till that date. I will not advise him to quit. Quitters don’t win.

Alan’s opportunity of becoming President in 2008 or 2025 was in 2007 when he competed with Nana Addo and conceded to him. Knowing who Nana Addo is, he, Alan should have let Nana Addo sign the declaration, when he declared that Alan was the one to follow him in line for the flag bearer of the NPP, when he, Nana Addo left the Jubilee House.

Another thing Alan could have done was to force the leaders of the party at that event to let him be the running mate to Nana Addo in the 2008 race. This would have made him almost, the automatic flag bearer of the party. He wouldn’t be struggling to get less than 100 votes from the super delegates.

Another option for Alan in 2016 was not to accept any position from Nana Addo but to concentrate his efforts working on the grassroots and the super delegates, like what Ken Agyapong did.

He relied on what Nana Addo told him in 2007 and thought Nana Addo was his friend and would keep to his declaration. Alan was running around the country like the next automatic flagbearer of the NPP. He was misled way back in 2007.

What I find surprising was that all those who voted in the super delegates were there when Nana Addo said in 2007 that Alan was next after him. So, why didn’t they keep to the declaration and vote for Alan?

Some things went wrong for Alan between 2007 and 2023.

Some of them could be that he over-relied on the declaration by Nana Addo and also trusted those who voted in the super delegates. He thought they would remember 2007. They failed him. The other was the Bawumia factor, which Alan underestimated.

Alan’s opportunity came but once. That was in 2007.

Now he has almost faded out unless no one gets 50%+1 on November 4.

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