Alan’s lieutenants Begin ‘Homecoming’ To Bawumia

…Amewu, Buaben, Boniface, Others To Follow After Disappointment 

Key members of the Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen campaign have begun switching allegiance from the camp of the former Trade and Industry Minister to his fierce contender, Dr.Mahamudu Bawumia, just days after his withdrawal from the presidential race.

In what looks like a homecoming journey, these leading figures on the Alan’s campaign team, described as his lieutenants,are hurriedly shiftingtheir support to the purported “establishment candidate,” even before their boss, Mr. Kyeremanten, could announce the fate of his political career.

So far, notable elementssuch as the former Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister, Catherine Afeku, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for BortianorNgleshieAmanfro constituency, Sylvester Tetteh, have declared their unflinching support for the vice president and expressed readiness to lead in the campaign.

Aside from the two leading members, The Anchor is also picking signals that some regional campaign coordinators for Team Alan, who were at the forefront, are also switching camp, one after the other, to Bawumia’s team.

This paper is reliably informed that, several prominent members of the Alan’s team are preparing to announce their new affiliation in the coming days as to which of the four flagbearer aspirants in the race they will throw their weight behind.

In a surprising turn of events,others, like a deputy campaign spokesperson, Richard Nyamah, as well as the MP for the Mpraeso constituency, Davis Ansah Opoku, have carefully not declared their support for anyone, even though they have spoken about their political future since Mr.Kyerematen made the shocking announcement.

Interestingly, the likesofAlan’s campaign manager and former MP for Madina, Abubakar Saddique Boniface;former General Secretary of NPP, Nana Ohene Ntow; former MP for Adentan, Yaw BuabenAsamoa; MP for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkrah; Minister for Railway Development and MP for Hohoe; John Peter Amewu; a Deputy Minister of Finance,Abena Osei, HopesonAdorye andGiftyKlenam, among others, are yet to come out on who they are endorsing.

According to The Anchor’s sources, while some of them are consulting extensively on the next line of action, as far as the race to lead the NPP is concerned, others prefer to sit on the fence and watch, unless they are approached by any of the candidates.

Madam Catherine Afeku and Sylvester Tetteh were very loud in the campaign to get Mr.Kyerematen elected as the man to beat in the November 4 presidential primaries, but barely a week after he declared his lack of interest in the upcoming election, they have quickly switched camp.

They could not even wait for the former minister, who placed third in the Super Delegates Conference, to announce his next action concerning the main primaries in November.

Reason for defection

Madam Afeku, in a recent interview, explainedthe reason behind her sudden U-turn in political affiliation, saying “I’ve spoken with some elders and thought about this, and though I support a political party, I have decided to use my energy and support for Vice President MahamuduBawumia because of his personality.”

Sly Tetteh, who is on record to have alleged that he was being threatened over his seat due to his support for the former trade minister, told host of the Good Morning Ghana programme on Metro Television, Dr. Randy Abbey, that he chose this path after an extensive consultation with his constituents and colleagues and even people outside his area.

According to the former Greater Accra Regional Coordinator for the Alan Campaign, the vice president was the best candidate for the upcoming 2024 elections.

“We need the NPP stronger than before. Alan remains a member of the party, he has not decided he is going to do otherwise but my commitment is to the NPP party and I will continue to work for the NPP to ensure that we retain power in 2024 and now we have four people contesting in the election on November 4. I have a vote, I am a delegate, I have supporters in my constituency.

“Randy, I have engaged extensively within and outside my constituency and I believe that it is proper that the NPP comes around the flag and the most important thing for us now. If Alan was to be in the race, obviously he is my choice, but he is not in the race. I have to make a choice,” he explained.

He went on, “So for me, Randy, 4th November, what I will say this morning is that NPP, we have come a long way and I think that it is obvious from the campaign we waged and what is happening today, I have engaged extensively with my constituency executives and people within and without that, I am making a firm commitment that I will support Dr.Bawumia for the November 4 election.

“Alan is not in the race and I have to move on, the party has to move on. Of course, from the look of things, I think that he makes a better president, and anybody in the race will make a better president than President John Mahama.  I think that under the circumstance we should all rally behind Dr.Bawumia.”

Statements

RichardNyamah, in particular, said he is shifting his attention to the Kpandai seat, which was snatched from the governing party in 2020.

In a statement to thank Mr.Kyerematen for making him a spokesperson for his presidential campaign, and also announcing his next line of action politically, Richard said he is prepared for the task ahead and will stop at nothing to bring the seat back to the party.

“As an aspiring Parliamentary Candidate for Kpandai, his withdrawal from the race makes my role as his Deputy Spokesperson and Deputy Director of Communications to his campaign redundant and ineffectual.

“As a result, I am by this statement informing the public of my intention to refocus all my efforts, henceforth, on my campaign to become the Parliamentary Candidate of the NPP in Kpandai to ensure we recapture the seat from the NDC and help NPP break the eight,” he said, in a statement issued last Monday.

Mr.Nyamah, who had alleged in the runup to the Super Delegates Conference that the hierarchy was scheming to impose the vice president on the NPP, refrained from toeing the line of his colleagues, by remaining silent on who his preferred choice is, ahead of the November 4 presidential primaries.

Davis Ansah Opoku, the Mpraeso MP, who was one of the few MPs that endorsed Mr.Kyerematen, in a recent interview, also said there is no way he or any of his colleagues will follow his former boss to contest the next general elections as an independent candidate.

OPK, as he is affectionately called, said on the Point of View programme on Citi Television: “If Alan leaves NPP, then he is on his own. All the MPs that supported him did so because he is NPP.”

Cleverly, the first-time lawmaker, while congratulating Dr.Bawumia and his team for waging a strategic campaign and coming up tops, was silent on whether or not he will join the vice president.

Source: Anchorghana.com