A Senior Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Kwasi Amakye Boateng, has asked former presidential hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen to discard any plan to run as an independent candidate or lead a breakaway party.
While other political analysts have suggested that Mr. Kyerematen could make some inroads if he decides to go solo, Dr. Amakye Boateng stated emphatically that the former Trade and Industry Minister stands no chance at all.
The former Trade and Industry Minister announced his withdrawal from the NPP’s November 4 presidential race on Tuesday, September 5, citing electoral irregularities, unfair treatment and bias during the super delegates’ conference.
Speaking on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM on Wednesday, September 5, Dr. Amakye Boateng said even Alan’s home region which is also the main support base of the NPP will not vote for him as an independent candidate.
“He [Alan] should discard it immediately. He’s not going to cause any magic in this country”he noted.
“Small parties have not survived in Ghana from the time of the struggle for independence till date. Small parties have not fared well. If he [Alan] stands as an independent candidate even Ashanti Region will not vote for him.
He buttressed this point with the fact that, out of over 120 delegates who voted in the NPP’s super delegates’ conference in the Ashanti Region, only 10 voted for Alan.
Dr. Amakye Boateng said Alan’s performance in the Ashanti Region was terrible, and that “a similar thing will happen if he stands as an independent candidate. The people of Ashanti Region say they support the NPP, and so even if you put a goat there, they will vote for it. Alan shouldn’t forget about that” he postulated.
While Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has not indicated his next move after announcing his withdrawal from the race, he said he will be consulting with his family and team members, and would soon announce his role in Ghana’s politics going forward.
According to the political scientist, Mr. Kyerematen had already lost his grip and influence within the NPP long before the election, adding he would have lost terribly in the November 4 presidential primaries just as he did in the super delegates’ conference if he had not pulled out.
He said Mr. Kyerematen’s decision to withdraw from the race did not come to him as a surprise.
Although he disagreed with Alan’s claims about a super delegates’ conference that was characterised by violence except for the pockets of incidents, Dr. Amakye Boateng agreed with the notion that the decision to hold the election at different points rather than a central location, allowed for influence peddling and may have given others an advantage in the exercise.
“The election itself was an elite election. It was a few influential individuals in the party who went to vote, and it takes out so much from the election which is worse than physical violence. It’s a case of two individuals; with one carrying charcoal and the other carrying raw meat, and then you expect all of them to attract flies to themselves.
“It happens that the one carrying charcoal doesn’t attract any flies, but the one carrying raw meat attracts flies, and to me, this played itself out, and that’s why Alan’s performance went that way. It was ably supported by the coercive element of the environment that required the election to be held at different centres. These were subtle but they’re obvious to people who have eyes to see them. They played out so strongly and significantly.”
He added that the outcome of the election “was strategised long ago. It started in Kumasi when Chairman Wontumi knew he was going to lose his second term bid and he was made to go unopposed through Nana Addo’s direct intervention. I have reasons to come to this conclusion.”
“In elections, the rules should not enable people to win ahead of time. It defeats the paradox of electoral governance. If you are able to predict the outcome of the elections ahead, it means you can’t guarantee what we call electoral certainties. So, a lot of things have happened.”
“In the Ashanti Region, we know Members of Parliament who have lost their seats over the years and you could see that there was a plan being implemented. And so, virtually Alan has been out for a long time. I don’t know whether he himself has been aware because I have not seen much of him by way of his people trying to counter that drive over the years, and I have been wondering why he still thinks that he’s still nurturing a presidential ambition in the NPP.
“Politics is politics, and one political scientist, Robert Dahl, has one general definition for politics I like to use – the exercise of influence. So, if I want to become the presidential candidate of my party and I have foresight, then definitely I would have to take the lead and do what I have to do, to get what I want. What did Alan do? I didn’t see it. Over here, I am not blaming anybody but these things have taken place and they have affected Alan’s fortunes.”
