Barely 24 hours after his alleged 6-3 drubbing by Nana Akufo Addo at the Ashanti Regional Conference of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Alan Kyerematen has met with the Minority Members of Parliament at his campaign office in Accra, and reminded them that the failure of the ruling NDC would not automatically win for the NPP the 2012 elections. He contended that whether the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) performs well or not, the NPP stands the better chance of winning the 2012 elections and called on the legislators to adopt what he described as “grassroots campaigns,” to woo more voters into their fold. According to him, the factors that caused the defeat of the party were known, and within the control of the leaders, and called on them to deal with the situation in the interest of the party. Mr Kyerematen further told the MPs, led by the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, to collectively work hard and fight for the return of the NPP to power. “We have to fight to come back to power, we have to forge a united front and work together as a united family. Secondly, it will depend on the type of campaign that we run…unless we conduct a grassroots campaign, it will be very difficult for us to see ourselves back in government,” he said. According to him, when the party is divided, it would be difficult for the party to win the hearts and minds of Ghanaians, to enable it come back to power to continue with the legacies left by the Kufuor administration. Mr Alan Kyerematen, who indicated that his intention was to fraternize with the MPs and share his appreciation to them, which would be extended to the elected regional officers of the party, was however not enthused about perceived factionalism that has rocked the party in recent times, to the extent that his perceived supporters were subjected to severe beatings by security guards of Nana Akufo-Addo. “I am deeply concerned myself. Take my word that I have absolutely no interest in fighting for my own ambition without subjecting it to the overall interest of our party…I want to assure you that if you hear a faction to which my name is subscribed, ignore it, because I don’t subscribe to that,” he stated. On his party, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, underscored that even though Mr Kyerematen had not officially declared his intention to contest the upcoming NPP presidential primary, it was obvious that he would be one of the contenders of the flag-bearership, and commended Alan for inviting them for such a discussion. Source: The Chronicle /Ghana