Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign team has brushed off the potential influence of Independent Presidential Aspirant, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen on the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) votes in the Ashanti region ahead of the December elections.

A prominent member of the team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, asserted that Mr. Kyerematen lacks the necessary clout to diminish Dr. Bawumia's support in the region.

Mr Aboagye stated that Mr. Kyerematen's claims of popularity in the region are exaggerated and suggested that he will be surprised by the outcome of the upcoming polls.

During an interview with Citi TV on Thursday, February 8, Mr. Aboagye assured that Dr. Bawumia's team is fully committed and determined to secure victory.

“I don’t think Mr Alan Kyerematen has the gravitas to affect the party [votes] just because he’s from the NPP, and he’s from the Ashanti Region. I don’t think so," he said.

Nevertheless, he was quick to add that the party is not complacent and will integrate the Movement for Change leader into their strategies if he is listed on the ballot.

“It’s an election, everybody on the ballot paper has the view that they could win. And for us in the NPP, we take every election seriously, in spite of what the person’s slot may be. And so once he finds his name on the ballot paper, why not? We will factor him into everything we do as a political party. We are not taking chances, we are not complacent at all, and we are not watering down anybody’s effect."

While acknowledging the established dominance of the NPP and NDC in Ghana's political landscape, Mr Aboagye underscored the considerable challenge for any new political party to rival their status.

“The NPP and NDC, I have always insisted that these two political parties are very established forces. If you have any idea about how a political party functions, then you must understand that there’s a tall order, it’s an extremely tall order."

"It will take another political party probably 20 to 30 years to reach the level of NDC and NPP, it’s a lot of work," he added.