NPP holds 7th presidential primary: Interesting scenarios
The seventh presidential primary of the New Patriotic Party, since 1992, was organised on Saturday across the country.
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The over 140,000 delegates overwhelmingly endorsed Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2016 poll.
The climax, which was reached at the Efua Sutherland Park in Accra, attracted the rank and file of the party, including people on wheelchairs and crutches who did not want to be left as the party celebrated the achievement of holding the largest primary in the country’s history.
It will be recalled that the party in August 2009 held its historic expanded national delegates congress in which over 100,000 delegates voted.
With his victory, Nana Akufo-Addo becomes a three-time standard bearer of the party.
He was the candidate in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
For the 1992 Election, Professor Albert Adu Boahene was elected the flag bearer, while former President J. A. Kufuor won the primaries to lead the party in the 1996 and 2000 elections. He went unopposed in the 2004.
While President Kufuor won the national presidential elections in 2000 and 2004, the thrice elected flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo is riding on a vast wave of popularity from the party and is very determined to repeat history by “doing everything humanly possible” within his power to bring the party back to power in 2016.
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But he faces a hugh task, as he will come face to face with not only the formidable election machine of the National Democratic Congress but other political parties.
Interesting scenarios
Meanwhile, a number of interesting scenarios played out in last Saturday’s primary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect a flag bearer to lead the party in the 2016 polls.
One of the surprises, however, was the performance of Mr Kyerematen in the Nhyiaeso Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
This was against the backdrop that, Dr Richard Anane, Member of Parliament (MP) for that constituency, had been an indisputable stalwart supporter of Mr Kyerematen and had stood solidly in campaigning for him.
Mr Kyerematen garnered 7.9 per cent during the party’s Special Electoral College (SEC) with a strong showing from the Nhyiaeso Constituency and so naturally, it was expected that he would put up a more spirited performance in that constituency in Saturday’s polls.
Unfortunately, that was not meant to be as Nana Akufo-Addo, on the day, broke the Alan-Anane jinx and managed to poll 478 votes representing 89.01 per cent while Mr Kyerematen had 58 votes, representing 10.80 per cent, and Mr Nimoh trailing with just a vote.
Best shows
In spite of this poor showing by Mr Kyerematen in his comrade-in-arm’s constituency in the Ashanti Region, he made some good showing in two constituencies in the Volta Region, which so far remain his best results in the election.
In the Ketu South Constituency, Mr Kyerematen polled 231 votes while Nana Addo had 332 and in the Ketu North Constituency, Mr Kyerematen again had 167 votes while Nana Akufo-Addo polled 273.
Interestingly, Ketu South recorded the highest number of rejected ballots.
Mr Kyerematen’s performance in these two constituencies comes as little surprise considering the fact that his campaign manager in the Volta Region was Mr Kofi Dzamesi.
It is believed that the strong influence that Mr Dzamesi still wields in that area may have rubbed off on the fortunes of Mr Kyerematen.
Mr Francis Addai-Nimoh, the third contestant, could not put up a spirited performance as he lost the elections in his own constituency.
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Mr Nimoh, who is the MP for the Mampong Constituency, could only manage 95 votes as against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s 419 and Mr Alan Kyerematen’s 17 votes.
Poor show in Navrongo
Aside losing in his own backyard, hopes were high that Mr Addai-Nimoh, who had his secondary school education at the Navrongo Secondary School in the Upper East Region and who seemed to enjoy a good measure of goodwill in that area, would make some impact, but that did not happen.