Founder and Leader of Movement for Change and former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanten has stated that Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s selection as the new New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer is not a surprise to him.
Over the weekend, the NPP chose Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, its vice president, to be its leader.
Dr. Bawumia was proclaimed the winner by the Electoral Commission at the conclusion of the race after he received 118,210 votes—or an astounding 61.47%—of the total 193,346 votes cast. Ken Ohene Agyapong, his closest competitor, received 71,996 votes.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto and Francis Addai-Nimoh, the other candidates, received 1459 and 781 votes, respectively.
Dr. Bawumia won by a wide margin in every region, with the exception of the Volta and Central regions.
In an interview with the Daily Ghanaian Guide, Mr. Alan Kyeremanten claimed even before the NPP primaries over the weekend, any serious political watcher anticipated Bawumia’s win.
According to him, just as he stated before after finishing third in the NPP super delegates conference, the electoral process was “strategically and tactically skewed in favour of a particular candidate.”
“Whilst using this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency the Vice President on taking over the mantle of leadership in the NPP, his selection as flagbearer is not a surprise to any serious political watcher. It was the widely anticipated outcome of the elections. I had been saying all along that the electoral process had been strategically and tactically skewed in favour of a particular candidate. That is what we saw on Saturday,” Mr. Alan Kyeremanten said.
The independent candidate for the 2024 general elections said Dr. Bawumia has been campaigning for the flagbearership since 2020 and has also benefited from both State and Party sponsored support.
Concerning the margin of victory, Kyeremanten also pointed out that the Vice President’s 60% vote share, while significant, might suggest that he does not have total control over the ruling NPP.
“Judging from the widely publicized expected margin of not less than 80% in favour of the Vice President, I am inclined to think that the 60% vote for him provides a clear indication that the Vice President does not have total control of his own Party. The election results must also be analysed against the background that the Vice President has been campaigning for the Flagbearership since 2020 and has been the beneficiary of both State and Party sponsored support.”
