The Communications Director for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign, Nana Akomea, has applauded the decision of former Trade Minister Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen to withdraw from the New Patriotic Party’s presidential primaries slated for November 4, 2023.

The serial flagbearer hopeful announced his withdrawal from the second round of the presidential race on Tuesday, September 5, citing electoral irregularities, unfair treatment and bias during the super delegates’ conference where he shockingly emerged third.

While Mr Kyerematen has not indicated his next move after announcing his withdrawal, he said he will be consulting with his family and team members, and would soon announce his role in Ghana’s politics going forward.

Reacting to the announcement on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen on Wednesday, September 6, the Communications Director for Dr. Bawumia’s campaign, Nana Akomea, said Alan’s withdrawal is good for the party.

He thus urged other contestants to withdraw from the race and support the party’s obvious choice.

“My elder brother, Alan Kyerematen's withdrawal from the second round of the NPP flagbearer race is good news. It is something I was expecting, and now I am expecting more people to withdraw from the race.”

Asked by the host of the show, Osei Bonsu [Alias OB], whether he expects Mr. Kyerematen and his supporters to throw their weight behind Dr. Bawumia, Nana Akomea responded in the affirmative.

“I think so. Once you take the lead, you are the one everyone wants to associate with. Everybody likes a winning team. So, we will speak with Alan and his supporters to come and join us. The reason why I said I expect all the others to withdraw from the race is that, the party has clearly shown where its heart is. If in an election of 10 contestants, the vote of nine people cannot even match the half of what one person got, then it is really clear where the party's heart is so what is the need for the contest?” he quizzed.

And that's how the NPP behaves. When it decides on where it wants to go, it is very clear. So once the party decides there's nothing anyone can do. With how the results went on August 26, if I was among the race I would have withdrawn, and that's why I am not surprised Alan pulled out” he noted.

Apart from 2008 where there were about 17 people, one person still had 47 percent and that's Akufo-Addo. When he [Akufo-Addo] came back in 2010, look at the votes he got, it was decisive. In 2014, the election was done twice like we did now because the people were more than five. In that super delegates’ conference Nana Addo had 80%. When they still insisted on going to the second round, Nana Addo moved from his 80% to 94%” he argued.

In response to the claims made by Mr. Kyerematen as his basis for withdrawing from the race, Nana Akomea said he sympathizes with the former Trade Minister who is speaking out of hurt because his effort has gone down the drain.

It's not even two weeks after the election. Election is hard work and it entails a lot. Look at the time Alan resigned from cabinet and the campaigning he's been doing, one can easily be pained after such a process only to perform this way. We are humans with emotions, we are not machines, so losing an election hurts. So we expect some emotional reaction which is normal. But when the heart is calm, I believe everyone will see good reason and come to terms with the reality.”

The one-time Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), said Alan’s reaction today is similar what he exhibited prior to the 2008 elections where he resigned and later rejoined the party to campaign for Nana Akufo-Addo.

“This is not the first time. If you remember what happened in 2008, the same Alan Kyerematen resigned from the party. He also said the party intimidated his supporters and so he was leaving the party which he did. But eventually when he was calm, he joined Nana Akufo-Addo's campaign for the election. So, for those of us who won, we are prepared to be magnanimous in victory and won't disrespect anyone.

Nana Akomea downplayed all the issues Alan raised as the basis for his withdrawal.

“If you look at the issues Alan raised, they're not fair. If you say the rules were tilted for one person to have an advantage, what do you mean by that? The election committee engaged all aspirants and gave people the register and listened to everyone's concerns. The balloting was done fairly, and the Electoral Commission supervised the elections fairly. So, how was the process skewed for one person? The only issue they raised was that the election should be centralized, but the party said that couldn't be done in the midst of the arrangements that had been made. So, if you wait to lose the election only to claim that the rules have been skewed, then that's unfair” he argued.

According to Nana Akomea, Alan Kyerematen equally got the support of some key party people including MPs and Chief Executives as well as Ministers of state, and so it would be unfair for him to have issues with similar support for Dr. Bawumia.

“He [Alan] also had leading members and influential people making pronouncements for him. So if he says utterances or pronouncements by leading members showed that the process was skewed, that is neither here nor there.”

Mr. Akomea also disagreed with Mr. Kyerematen's claims about so-called intimidation of his supporters during the election.

In the case of Mr. Kyerematen's agent in the North East Region who was injured, Nana Akomea said the agent brought that upon himself because he first attacked someone when he could have chosen the option to report his concern to the electoral officers who were supervising the election.

Nana Akomea said Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his team worked tirelessly for the results and support they’ve gotten by touring the country to engage the delegates.

"Bawumia and his team really worked for this victory, and so it hurts when I hear someone say that the process was skewed in favour of one person."