Justin Kodua Frimpong
General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has condemned tribal and bigotry remarks made by some followers of Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen who claimed that delegates in the Ashanti Region betrayed one of their own by voting for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He said such utterances do not augur well for the unity of the party, noting that any of the flagbearer hopeful who wins the race will require the support of other candidates in order to win the 2024 general election.
Speaking on Accra-based Asempa FM, Mr. Frimpong stated that the supporters of a candidate alone cannot guarantee a win for the NPP.
“The six candidates left, I can tell you that none of them can win the 2024 presidential election with only his supporters. You need the support of other candidates. The 2024 election is going to be one of the most difficult elections for the NPP.
“Because of that we need everybody; all the aspirants and their supporters. If you go on social media, people are saying all sorts of things. Behind the scenes, I have been talking to them,” he asserted.
According to him, some NPP members want the party to lose in the general election if their candidates do not win the position of flagbearer.
The NPP General Secretary added that these members merely want to stir up trouble and continue to disparage other party members, noting that this will give NDC arsenals to fire at the party candidate.
“I can’t bring myself to understand why someone in his imagination wants people to vote based on ethnicity or tribal lines. I am a true Asante; 100 percent for that matter, and if you are looking for people who do not vote on tribal lines, they are the people of Ashanti Region.
“When you go to Ashanti Region, there are places such as Anloga New Town, Fante New Town and various Zongo communities. There are various tribes in Ashanti Region to the extent that some of them have been enstooled as tribal chiefs who are recognised by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
“It is a region that welcomes all other tribes. You cannot do that at certain places. We have MPs in Ashanti Region who do not hail from the region,” he indicated.
According to Mr. Kodua Frimpong, Ashanti people like to support good causes, and their voting and electoral behaviour reflects this.
“They don’t discriminate. They are objective people and look at things objectively without consideration to the tribe. This character trait has been exhibited many times in the political history of this country,” he stated.
Even though he admitted that the North East people voted 100% for Dr. Bawumia, the NPP General Secretary pointed out that the people did not say they voted for him because he is a native of the area.
“We voted and all the regions showed where their preferences are. All the candidates also got the opportunity to campaign and the special delegates thought that probably Bawumia’s message found resonance with them and voted for him, why do you bring tribal issues into this?” he asked rhetorically.
“At the time that we have inter-married and are moving on as a country with a common purpose, this is not the kind of statement to make. Put your message across and tell the delegates what you can offer and convince them why they should vote for you,” he posited.
By Ernest Kofi Adu