A socialist, Zumah Tii-roug Yaro, says he is afraid former Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan John Kyerematen, is likely not to secure a single vote in the Upper East Region at the Super Delegates Conference of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to the former Upper East Regional First Vice-Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), a government-backed team has succeeded in persuading delegates in the region to vote for the Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, against their will.
“The information I have is that a team has been able to whip all delegates, particularly the appointees and the constituency chairmen, to cast their votes in favour of the establishment candidate, who is the Vice-President. But a deputy secretary has disagreed, saying he will vote for Kennedy Agyapong. This is undemocratic, to force people to vote for a candidate against their will.
“Looking at it, it is likely that out of the 36 delegates who are to vote in Upper East, the Vice-President Bawumia is likely to get 35 if all of them are present. Kennedy Agyapong will get 1. I’m afraid the rest will get zero. I am neither a fan of the NPP nor a sympathiser of the party. This is due to some actions of the Upper East Regional Minister doubling as a self-imposed small-scale mining mediator, which has never happened before. People of that nature, if allowed to lead any campaign organisation, will hunt prospective delegates,” Zumah, who is also a former member of the CPP’s Central Committee, said.
The Super Delegates Conference takes place on Saturday, 26 August 2023, at designated venues across the country.
The 10 aspirants include: Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; a former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen; the MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, who is also a former Minister of Railways Development and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice; an energy consultant, Kwadwo Poku; and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
The rest are: a former General Secretary of the NPP and Press Secretary to President J.A. Kufuor, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; a former MP for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh; a former Commissioner of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku; a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko; and the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Source: Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org
