NPP Flagbearership: I see no wrong with people declaring intent now - Obiri Boahen

Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has expressed that no one should be chastised for declaring their intent to contest for the flagbearership of the party.

According to him, every individual has an ambition and as such, if people are making their intent known, there is no reason to be worried about this trend.

His comments come after some bigwigs of the party declared their ambition to lead the party and succeed President Akufo-Addo as the President of the country.

One of such is the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto who is said to have started his Presidential campaign albeit privately in his house at Denyame in Kumasi, where he informed influential delegates about the incessant calls on him to enter the party’s contest to enable him to lead it in 2024.

Nana Obiri Boahen has come to the defence of the Agric minister and others when he told Happy FM’s Don Prah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show: “The party doesn’t see that as worrisome. There is something we call a declaration of intent in law. If he says he is hoping to join the race, has he done any wrong? What is the big deal about that?

It is a human institution and people have ambitions. Every individual must have an ambition”.

The Deputy General Secretary has however sent a word of caution to all who wish to contest for the enviable position by stating that they must aim for unity before anything else.

“The only thing I can do is to send a word of caution to these people and their followers that no one should verbally abuse anyone or intentionally taint the other with scandals. We should speak against those things. All we need is unity”, he added.

Days after the 2020 election, some members of the NPP declared their intent to contest in the 2024 elections as flagbearers of the party.

For example, Member of Parliament for the Essikadu Ketan Constituency in the Western region, Joe Ghartey announced his intention to run for President in 2024.

Other names like Vice President Dr Bawumia, Minister for Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen all sprung up for the presidential race in 2024.