There is massive confusion in the camp of Trade Minister, Alan Kyeremateng, as to when he should hit President Akufo-Addo with his resignation letter to focus on his ambition to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the 2024 general election.
The Herald’s intelligence is thatthe Alan Kyeremateng camp, is divided on when he should resign from the government.
While, he feels that leaving early will get him to clean up and whitewash himself from the dirt of this government, others are of the view that doing so at the end this year, means he is not abandoning the government whose credit he would want to ride on.
He has built a network of party members and advisors in readiness for the Presidential primary, and some of these supporters have in recent days turned the Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia into their punching bag for and on behalf of the Trade Minister.
Aside, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, The Herald is learning that the President himself, will soon be receiving some of the fire over his management of the country from senior party members supportive of the Alan Kyeremateng for President 2024 bid.
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In the corner of Alan Kyeremateng is a team of NPP stalwarts, including ex-General Secretary Nana Ohene-Ntow, Abu-Bakar Siddique Boniface, the former Minister of State at the Office of the Vice President and a former minister for Inner cities and Zongo Development.
Other names The Herald has are those of JojoFosu, former Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs under the administration of John Agyekum Kufuor, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, Patrick Yaw Boamah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Okaikwei Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
Also in the Alan Kyeremateng camp, are the ex-MP for Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region, Samuel Kwadwo Nuamah, who lost his seat to Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, Edward Anin, ex-MP, Obuasi East, Ebenezer Gilbert Nii Narh Nartey, the MP for Ablekuma Central, onetime Deputy Minister for Aviation,Yaw Maama Afful, who was the MP Jaman South Constituency.
But the most surprising names are those of Nana Dokua Asiamah Adjei, MP for Akuapem North Constituency in the Eastern Region and her husband a Presidential Staffer, Charles Bissue, who doubled as the Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
In the last few days, press conference upon press conference, have been organized by the Alan Kyeremateng camp with skating attacks on Dr Bawumia.
One such group called the professional youth wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), known as ‘Youth for Victory 2024’, last week called on the party’s hierarchy to immediately suspend members, who have flouted the party’s code of conduct which prohibits members from engaging in internal party contests.
According to the group, members of the party which, included some national executives continue to openly declare their support and assistance to some party members who have the intention to become the 2024 flag bearer of the NPP, despite the National Steering Committee’s stipulated consequences and cautions “if any member or supporter breached the code of conduct”.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Accra, the spokesperson for the group, Jerry John Campbell, said the hierarchy of the party, should not remain adamant, but take the necessary actions against those who had flouted the directives.
He mentioned the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; Amin Anta, MP for Karaga in the Northern Region; Habib Iddrisu, MP for Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region and Farouk Mahama, MP for Yendi Constituency in the Northern Region.
Mr Campbell added that Bernard Antwi Bosiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP and Mohammed A. Baantima Samba, the party’s Northern Regional Chairman, as some members who had allegedly openly declared their support and assistance to some members eyeing the 2024 flagbearer position of the party.
“So far, as the party has stopped other potential aspirants from campaigning, such activities should not be encouraged because it seems it is right for some who have presidential ambition and their supporters to flout party rules and regulations but other candidates cannot do the same which must stop.
“Our group has observed that there seems to be a grand scheme targeted at individuals who are perceived to be supporters of the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, to become the flag bearer of the NPP and eventually becoming the President of the Republic of Ghana which is rather worrying and an affront to our collective objective,” Mr Campbell bemoaned.
Ahead of the press conference, the Spokesperson for the Vice President, Dr. Gideon Boako, had in a Facebook post, dismantled the claims being made by Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and his loyalists to the effect that the Trade Minister was made a promise by then candidate Akufo-Addo that he would be the next flagbearer of the NPP after him (Nana Addo).
According to the astute economist, the decision by Alan Kyerematen to contest President Akufo-Addo, multiple times if even such a promise was made, made the said promise redundant.
This is the full text on Dr. Boako’s Facebook timeline: “So I go into a contest with you. I get more votes than you but not sufficient enough to secure me the required 50% plus 1.
You came next to me and instead of a second round contest you concede to me. That’s nice. I acknowledge you in my acceptance speech and in order to ensure greater unity I indicate that you will come after me.
Few months later you decided to abandon me and the team to fight our own fight on a flimsy excuse. Fair enough you rescind your decision and join us.
We heartily accept you back. I got into the main contest but unfortunately lost. Instead of keeping to the commitment of conceding to me to go again so you can come after you contest me. I lost and decided to go again and there again you did not concede to me but contested me. Once you do this you have withdrawn the commitment you made to me.
Should the assurance I gave you still hold even after you subsequently withdrew your commitment to me on two separate occasions? Once you withdrew your commitment the consequential assurance from me also stands withdrawn.
With this, any desperate and awkward attempt to create a false impression that an assurance for which tenets you have grossly violated still holds can only be laughable,” the post read.
The Trade and Industry Minister is reported to have said that as he sacrificed for President Akufo-Addo, someone else, possibly Vice President Bawumia, should also sacrifice for him to lead the party in 2024.
Interestingly some including, the Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, are playing it safe by asking the NPP to pair the Vice President and Trade Minister as Presidential candidate and Vice, respectively, for the 2024 general elections.
In the view of Nswam-Adoagyiri MP, this is the best bet for the governing party to continue staying in power in 2024 and beyond.
He however, did not mention who should be made the Presidential candidate and who should be the running mate. While Dr. Bawumia will naturally want to rise to the presidency, Mr. Kyeremanteng, insiders say is sees himself bigger than the status of a vice-president, and will not kowtow to the suggestion to pair them.
“Been advocating for this ‘heavenly’ pair for a while, I am pretty sure it shall crystalize eventually… Lets give it a deeper reflection. It’s our surest bet, patriots!” Mr Annoh-Dompreh, who is also lawmaker for Nswam-Adoagyiri tweeted.
Although, they are yet to officially declare their intentions to contest for the flagbearer position, supporters of both DrBawumia and MrKyerematen, have started campaigning to get their preferred candidate elected.
President Akufo-Addo, had also called for a transparent process in electing the flagbearer for the party ahead of the elections.
“We should have a transparent, credible, acceptable process for choosing our next flagbearer.
“The same way as I came out of such a process, it should be my responsibility to make sure that the process for choosing the next leaders of the NPP will be equally free of doubt or machination or manipulation and for me that is absolutely key.
“I’m hoping that a level playing field that allows us to elect our next presidential candidate, will also bring us a candidate who can unite our party,” he said in a radio interview.
