Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said that the exit of even a polling station executive could possibly pose a disaster for any political party in any given election.
He has therefore cautioned that the leadership of the NPP must work to ensure total unity before entering the 2024 general elections.
He implied that the exit of Alan Kyeremanten could mean a potential disaster for the electoral fortunes of the NPP in the 2024 general elections, he said.
To lose any party faithful to other political parties, he noted, is a disaster.
“…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.”
Discussing his chances in the NPP presidential primary and related matters with the media in Accra, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture said politics is about numbers, stressing that a free and fair November 4 presidential primary will keep the flock intact since no one will have any complain to make.
Established Candidate
Many of the candidate vying for the flagbearer position of the NPP have often criticized the leadership of the party that there is already an established candidate where delegates are being whipped to tow to a certain line in favor of that candidate.
However, the Cambridge University trained Economist disagrees and when asked about it, he noted that none of that exists in the NPP, noting that “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 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 king makers”, he underscored.
Dr. Akoto, who worked in the UN systems for more than 18 years, was hopeful that the processes leading to the November 4 NPP primary will be peaceful and transparent for all the candidates to compete without any misgivings.
Ghana’s longest Minister for Food and Agriculture in the 4th Republic on Monday, October 2, 2023, announced the suspension of his campaign tour to the Ashanti Region following the demise of the former First Lady of the Republic, Theresa Kufuor, whose sad event occurred on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
At a press conference held in Kumasi, Dr. Akoto said the suspension of his campaign tour was a sign of respect for the loss of the former First Lady.
He had officially scheduled to October 2 – 6, 2023, to begin his week-long tour to the Ashanti Region by holding strategic meetings with key party members at different locations in the region.
This was to scale up efforts in rallying support for his presidential bid.
The NPP goes to the polls on November 4, 2023, to select a presidential candidate who will lead the party to the 2024 general elections.
Dr. Akoto is number 3 on the ballot paper. He placed 4th in the Super Delegates Conference held on August 26, 2023.
Over 200,000 delegates are expected to vote in the National Delegates Conference on November 4, 2024.
By Samuel Boadi