Resignation to withdrawal: How Alan Kyerematen’s presidential bid unraveled in 8 months

Alan Kyerematen, a serial contender of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearership slot on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, announced his withdrawal from the party’s contest to elect a presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

GhanaWeb takes a look at Mr Kyerematen’s journey in the current contest and the various events that cumulated into his latest move.

Resignation from ministerial role and government

In early January 2023, Mr Kyerematen’s presidential bid gained momentum with reports of his resignation from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led NPP government in which he was serving as minister for trade and industry.

In a statement on January 6, 2023, the presidency said Mr Kyerematen had personally informed the president about his decision to quit the government and had subsequently summitted a letter to that effect.

Speculations as to why he decided to leave government heightened, the apparent justification was said to be due to his presidential ambition.

Official declaration of intent

Four days later, on Tuesday, Janaury 10, 2023, Alan Kyerematen in a national broadcast officially announced his bid to contest for the NPP flagbearership.

“I wish to use this platform to formally announce my decision to contest the flagbearership of the New Patriotic Party when the Party officially opens nominations for that purpose,” he said.

Therefrom, the former diplomat turned minister subsequently embarked on a nationwide campaign sharing his ideas for the party faithful and the nation at large should he become flagbearer and president.

Special delegates conference

When the campaigns ended, Alan Kyerematen and nine other contenders were put up for a special college election on August 26, 2023.

The exercise aimed at reducing the number of candidates in the contest to five saw Alan Kyerematen placing third for the first time since entering the party’s flagbearer race in 2007.

Unlike previous flagbearership contests that he had consistently placed second, Mr Kyerematen on August 26, came third behind Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

The former minister garnered 95 votes out of the total votes of over 900.

Reaction to special congress result

In a statement reacting to the result from the special electoral college, Alan Kyerematen bemoaned alleged incidents of threats, assault and intimidation against his agents and supporters describing it as an indelible blot on the integrity of internal democratic process within the party.

“I would however like to express my deep sorrow about the brutal assault on my polling agent in the North East Region. This is an indelible blot on the integrity of the internal democratic process within the NPP.”
He served notice of a planned public broadcast after his team had completed an analysis of the result.

The anticlimax of a withdrawal

On the eve of a scheduled ballot to determine the position of candidates in the final delegates congress on November 4, 2023, My Kyerematen on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from the NPP flagbearer contest.

The flagbearer hopeful in his statement on Tuesday alluded to instances of threats, intimidation and assault on his agents in the party’s recently held special delegates congress and accused the party’s leadership of skewing the process in favour of another candidate while emphasising their inaction on the issues of concern.

“After having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant. The pronouncements made by some leading Members of our Party both before and after the elections, also lend weight to my observations.

“The level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen 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 eye sight, 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 forever 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 Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable,” he lamented.

Noting his commitment to the safety of his agents and supporters, Mr Kyerematen who said he believes the event of August 26 will likely repeat itself come November 4, when the party holds a final delegates congress to elect a flagbearer said he has decided to withdraw from the race.

“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 of September 2023.

“In light of the foregoing, I wish to confirm that I am honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023, In the next upcoming weeks, I will provide an indication of the role that I will play in politics in Ghana, after consultations with my family and other well. wishers, various stakeholders and interest groups,” he stated.

GA/SARA

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