Renowned Ghanaian pollster Ben Ephson has expressed his belief that Alan Kyerematen’s withdrawal from the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer race will not significantly impact the party’s prospects in the 2024 general elections. Ephson emphasized that the loyalty of many primary voters lies with the NPP as a party rather than with any specific candidate.
According to Ephson, Alan Kyerematen’s past history within the party is noteworthy. He mentioned that while there may be speculation about Kyerematen potentially running as an independent candidate or under another party’s banner in the 2024 general elections, younger voters may not recall that 17 years ago, after losing to President Akufo-Addo in the primaries, Kyerematen briefly left the NPP before returning.
Ephson also pointed out that the backing of a candidate by the party hierarchy does not guarantee victory, citing the example of President Kufour’s government and hierarchy supporting Kyerematen 17 years ago, which ultimately ended in defeat.
Alan Kyerematen announced his withdrawal from the race in a statement released on Tuesday, September 5. He expressed concerns about the fairness of the special delegates’ conference held in August, alleging strategic and tactical bias in favor of a particular aspirant. Kyerematen also raised issues of reported intimidation and violence at various voting centers during the conference. The upcoming round of elections is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
