Former Agric Minister and flagbearer candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has expressed worry over the disunity in the party following the departure of Alan Kyerematen. According to him, the resignation of a polling station executive could spell disaster for any political party in any election.
He has, therefore, advised the leadership of the NPP to work to ensure total unity before entering the 2024 general election.
He implied that Alan Kyerematen’s departure might be disastrous for the NPP’s chances of winning the general election in 2024.
He stated that Alan’s resignation was “a disaster” for the NPP and that “you can’t downplay it.
“We are looking for numbers, and politics is about numbers. So one person turning his back, for me, is a disaster. We are all in this game together, and together we must fight and win. That is my attitude,” he said.
Discussing his chances in the NPP presidential primary and related matters with the media in Accra on Thursday, October 5, 2023, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture said politics was about numbers and stressed that a free and fair November 4 presidential primary would keep the flock intact since no one would have any complaint to make.
Many of the candidates vying for the flag bearer position of the NPP have often criticised the leadership of the party that there is already an established candidate and delegates are being whipped to tow a certain line in favour of that candidate.
However, Dr Akoto disagrees and when asked about it, he noted that none of that existed in the NPP and said “For me, it really has to do with the conduct and making sure that there is a level playing field for all the candidate”.
The former two-term Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso Constituency in the Ashanti Region further buttressed his point that if there should be any established candidate in the race, that should be the polling station executives and Electoral Area Coordinators.
“Who is more established than those at the grassroots? They have more power to decide who should lead the NPP. They are more than 200,000. They are the kingmakers,” he underscored.
