Highly confidential sources within the Electoral Commission have brought to light a clandestine plot aimed at disqualifying potential challengers in this year’s presidential election in a desperate bid to maintain power and protect the ruling party despite its evident governance missteps.
Insiders have unveiled a well-coordinated scheme involving the ruling party and selected Electoral Commission officials to obstruct the candidacies of Mr Alan Kyeremanteng, the flagbearer of the newly formed Movement for Change party, a dissenting breakaway faction from the ruling New Patriotic Party, and Kweku Bediako, an independent presidential aspirant rallying under the umbrella of ‘The New Force.’
The sinister motive behind this nefarious ploy is to preemptively sideline these candidates from participating in the impending general election, as they pose a significant threat to the embattled NPP, which is grappling with waning support in its traditional strongholds amidst a legitimacy crisis.
Interestingly, the targeted candidates are Akans who hail from the Ashanti and Eastern regions, the two strongholds of the governing centre-right party. NPP insiders have bemoaned the effect of Alan Kyeremanteng and Nana Kwame Bediako’s campaigns on their flagbearer, who is from the minority Mamprusi tribe in the North and Upper East Regions.
Among other things, the fear that Alan Kyeremanteng and his followers may divulge the election secrets of the NPP has sent shivers down the spines of the ruling party. The first phase of the plot to disqualify the duo is to infiltrate their camps and frustrate the nomination filing process, which requires at least one person from each of the 275 constituencies to vouch for their candidacy. If this fails, the ruling party allies at the commission would use every means possible to prevent the successful filing of their forms.
The Movement for Change has recently started to gain traction at the grassroots, especially among women and young people in Akan communities, posing nightmares for their ruling party rivals. A couple of months ago, the party claimed there were attempts to bribe its followers across the country.
“We have been aware of a grand scheme to lure, by way of bribery, some of our people back to the NPP. There are a few weak links who have fallen for it, and there are several others who were contacted, and they turned it down,” Nobi, a senior campaigner for the party, had alleged.
Despite the government stacking the Electoral Commission with its political allies, growing disenchantment within party ranks is slowly arousing supporters to the stark realities of prolonged neglect and unmet pledges.
In a surprising twist of events, Alan Kyerematen, a prominent NPP figure and former Minister for Trade and Industry, announced his departure from the NPP to run as an independent candidate in the forthcoming 2024 elections. Kyerematen’s decision reverberated across the political atmosphere, given his long-standing allegiance to the NPP.
The seasoned politician, renowned for his past contributions within the NPP and various governmental roles, expressed in a press conference in Accra in September: “It is evidently clear to me that my dedication and efforts for the Party go unacknowledged, and my continued presence will only foster discord and division, reminiscent of the circumstances that led to my earlier resignation from the Party in 2008.
“Under these circumstances and in light of the current situation, I hereby announce my honourable resignation with immediate effect from the New Patriotic Party to vie for the esteemed office of the President of the Republic of Ghana in the 2024 General Elections, as an Independent Presidential Candidate.”
Kyerematen underscored his commitment to tackling the nation’s pressing challenges, including economic growth, employment generation, and social welfare. He indicated that his decision to run independently stemmed from his belief that this approach would better serve the interests of Ghanaians. His independent candidacy poses a distinctive challenge to the established political landscape in Ghana and has the potential to reshape the country’s political dynamics.
This marks the second instance of Mr Kyerematen’s departure from the NPP, following his resignation in 2008 after his bitter loss in the 2007 presidential primary and subsequent sidelining within the party. Despite his initial exit being politically coerced, he later rejoined the party.
While Alan’s influence in Ashanti is turning the electorate against the NPP, Nana Kwame Bediako seems to be wooing the youth to his support, to the chagrin of the two main political parties.
