General News of Saturday, 23 November 2013

Source: peacefmonline.com

Kufuor’s love for Alan caused NPP’s defeat - P.C. Appiah Ofori

Their love was politically motivated, and according to a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), their relationship caused the party’s defeat in 2008.

Love is inherently free. It cannot be bought, sold, or traded and this was the type of love that existed between ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor and Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten, asserts former NPP MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, P.C Appiah Ofori.

Their love was politically motivated and according to P.C. Appiah Ofori, their relationship caused the NPP’s defeat in 2008.

He claims ex-President Kufuor made Mr. Kyeremanten a cabinet minister for a simple reason. He explained to Okay FM that the reason behind Alan’s ministerial appointment was to prepare him take over from President Kufuor as soon as he (Kufuor) ended his tenure.

But this desire never manifested as Nana Akufo-Addo defeated Mr. Kyeremanten at the NPP’s primaries to become the party’s flagbearer in 2008.

The former MP recounted that Alan’s defeat at the hands of Nana Addo did not go down well with Mr Kufuor, resulting in the latter abandoning Nana Akufo-Addo when he needed his support most.

“When Nana needed Kufuor at Tain during our campaign, Kufuor intentionally missed the occasion. He refused to show up and it worked against us. Rawlings had already gone to the area and campaigned for the NDC, and it was at that dire moment that we needed Kufuor to discount what he had said. If he (Kufuor) had stepped in, the NPP could have bridged the gap and won the 2008 election. Though NPP did great works at Bui, his refusal to show up made the electorate cast their votes for the NDC,” he claimed.