Former Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen on Monday, September 25, 2023, resigned from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He resigned and announced his decision to contest the presidential election in 2024 as an independent candidate.
In announcing his decision, he outlined four reasons why he resigned to contest as an independent candidate.
His reasons are as follows;
Disfavour was created against Alan to diminish his popularity
“In 2007, I joined a distinguished group of seventeen (17) Presidential aspirants to contest in the presidential primaries of NPP. In that election, under very strange circumstances, the electoral process was truncated on the day of the election, on account of accusations levelled against me, of influencing the course of the elections. This strategy was designed to create disfavour against me, in an attempt to diminish my popularity and the massive support I enjoyed amongst the grassroot activists of the Party.”
Hostility and brutality
According to him, the party was hostile towards him.
“Despite the sacrifice that I made to unite the Party as referred to above, there were very serious post-primary attacks on my supporters all over the country and an open show of hostility. Some of my supporters were victims of brutalities and continue to bear the scars of that treatment. I made several representations to the then leadership of the Party, drawing their attention to the rancorous and divisive behaviour of some elements in the Party.
“Unfortunately, however, all the promises made by the Party leadership were never fulfilled, and indeed the divisive and hostile attacks on my person and my supporters remained for several years thereafter, and have continued to date.”
NPP’s National Council’s disregard for the rule of law
“In the run-up to the Super Delegates Conference, the National Council of the Party made some of the most controversial and contentious decisions in the history of the Party. They rejected a petition signed by nine out of the ten aspirants, requesting for the Super Delegates Conference to be held in one location, as well as allowing each Delegate to the Conference to nominate five persons, instead of one, in line with the provisions in the Party’s Constitution.
“To make matters worse, it was absolutely clear as indicated in my Press Statement of September 6th this year that, the Super Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular aspirant. The level of intimidation and monetization that characterized the Conference is unprecedented in the history of internal elections of our Party.”
Hijacking of NPP by some persons
“I have devoted the best part of my professional career to serving the Party, and I still believe in the vision of the founding fathers of the Party. However, the NPP as it exists now has very little resemblance to the Party that I joined in 1992 and helped to nurture. The Party has been hijacked by a selected group of Party leaders and elders, government appointees, “behind the curtain power brokers” and some unscrupulous Party apparatchiks.”
Ghana’s rising unemployment figures
“It is also worth noting that every year over 300,000 (three hundred thousand) graduates from tertiary institutions in Ghana, excluding those from secondary institutions, enter the job market with little or no hope of finding a job. Clearly, public sector employment is not an option, with an already over-bloated public service. This phenomenon of pervasive employment crisis, is gradually becoming a national security threat, as evidenced by the recent “Occupy Julorbi House” demonstrations. The initial reaction of the Police in manhandling some protestors is not the solution to the problem. What Ghana needs now is CHANGE, which will provide long-lasting solutions to the challenges confronting our country.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
