Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene Ntow, has revealed that there is intense pressure on Alan Kyerematen not to contest the partyοΏ½s primaries.
According to him, some bigwigs within the party are championing a crusade for Akufo-Addo to be presented for a third time without any opposition.
"There have been a lot of calls for Alan not to run in this particular primaries and also suggestions from very well placed party officials and personalities that Nana Akufo-Addo should go unopposedοΏ½.,οΏ½οΏ½ he said such calls are alien to the party.
Mr. Ohene-Ntow who was responding to comments made by spokesperson for Nana Addo, Mustapha Hamid, saying Mr. Alan Kyerematen should try standing as an independent candidate for the presidency if he believes he is popular enough to win the 2016 elections.
"People who are saying they are popular in the whole country, amongst the population, but are not popular within the NPP. No doubt itοΏ½s the population that they need to be president and, therefore, they donοΏ½t need the NPP machine; in that sense, let Alan Kyerematen maybe try and run as an independent candidate, because the constitution allows him to run. He doesnοΏ½t necessarily have to run on a ticket,οΏ½οΏ½ Mustapha Hamid suggested.
But speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, Nana Ohene-Ntow, who is a friend to Alan Kyerematen, said it does not make sense to suggest that Nana Akufo-Addo should be returned unopposed by the NPP for the 2016 general elections.
"οΏ½ elections and competitions are part of the partyοΏ½s culture; we have elections to select even polling station executives.οΏ½οΏ½
"If someone [Alan] suggested that I am interested in taking part in an election and the counter-suggestion is that οΏ½leave the party ,' that becomes a very difficult proposition,οΏ½οΏ½ Ohene Ntow said.
He stated that such comments do not auger well for the unity of the party. "If we need to deal with party unity and key party spokespersons, such as Hamid, start suggesting that some people must leave the party to pursue their political ambition, then that undermines that effort for the party to be united".
Nana Ohene Ntow said Mr. Kyerematen has not shown desperation to become the flagbearer of the party apart from showing interest in the normal and the culture of democracy which exist in the NPP.
He reiterated that the suggestions that Alan Kyerematen should not contest the primaries are "out of placeοΏ½οΏ½ and divisive.
Source: Citifmonline.com
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