Famous Ghanaian pollster Ben Ephson has minimized the impact of Alan Kyerementen’s withdrawal from the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) contest for flagbearer.
He claimed that the former Minister of Trade and Industry’s withdrawal from the race wouldn’t significantly affect the ruling party in the general elections of 2024.
“I think that many of those who will vote for Alan Kyerematen in the primaries love NPP more than Alan Kyerematen as a person,” Ben Ephson said.
He continued by emphasizing Alan Kyerematen’s prior party involvement, saying, “Now if he leaves and contests as an independent candidate or on another party’s ticket for the 2024 general elections, for your listeners who are 30 years and below, they will not remember that 17 years ago when President Akufo-Addo defeated Alan Kyerematen, he resigned from the NPP before coming back to the party.”
Ephson also addressed the impact of the party structure, saying, “Now he makes a point about the hierarchy of government supporting a candidate; 17 years ago, President Kufour’s government and hierarchy supported him and he lost, so a system supporting you does not guarantee victory.”
The former trade minister Alan Kyerematen made the announcement that he would not be running for office in a statement that was released on Tuesday, September 5.
He raised questions about the fairness of the special delegates’ conference that took place in August, claiming that the events prior to, during, and following the conference were strategically and tactically skewed in favor of one particular candidate.
During the conference, he also brought up the issues of violence and intimidation that had been observed at various polling places.
Kyerematen voiced his skepticism regarding the likelihood of a free and impartial election in the upcoming round, set for Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
