Alan’s exit regrettable; Oquaye’s C’ttee must sit up – Afriyie Akoto

A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has said that the loss of any member of a political party to another political party is bad news to deal with, especially ahead of the crucial 2024 elections.

Even to lose a polling station executive is a potential disaster for any political party in any given election, he added.

He noted that to lose any party faithful to other political parties is a disaster.

According to him, politics is about numbers and therefore any member of the party resigning is a cause of concern. 

He has, therefore, cautioned the leadership of the NPP, especially, the Presidential Elections Committee, to work assiduously and bring credibility into their operations so that the final outcome of the November 4 presidential primary will be acceptable by all.

This, he noted, will make it easier for all the contesting candidates to rally around the eventual winner to execute a united, stronger, and peaceful campaign to break the eight-year governance cycle in the 4th Republic.

The former Minister of Food and Agriculture noted that currently, there seems to be uneasy calm in some of the candidates due to the widespread perception that the whole electoral process has been skewed to favour a particular candidate, a situation he noted, is regrettable.

Discussing his chances in the November 4 presidential primary and related matters with some selected media in Accra, Dr. Akoto said politics is about numbers, and for that matter losing party members makes it difficult to secure victory.

“We are looking for numbers, and politics is about numbers. So, one person turning his or her back on the party is a disaster for me.

“We are all in this game together and together, we must fight and win. That is my attitude,” he said.

With particular reference to the exit of Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Akoto noted that it is sad and regrettable that the party could lose such a stalwart at this very crucial time in its political journey.

“It tells clearly that something is not right. Alan has raised some critical issues, which are the reason for his exit, and I think those issues are germane.

“Prior to the August 26th Super Delegates elections, we had worked closely with the Presidential Elections Committee and came up with workable rules and regulations to govern the entire selection process.

“The problem we have now has been the implementation. We observed that all the implementation processes have gone to favour one candidate, and that to me is unfortunate”, he underscored.

Several of the contestants in the Super Delegates’ Conference that took place on August 26 had a cause to complain that delegates were whipped to tow to a certain line in favour of a particular candidate.

Therefore, they said the playing field was not even, and the rules and regulations were flagrantly abused with impunity.

He alleged that camping of delegates overnight took place across the regions coupled with bussing of delegates, including open display of ballot papers.

These, the Cambridge scholar believes, are the legitimate concerns raised by the contestants that the Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye Committee must address to the satisfaction of all to facilitate a level playing field.