Theodore Albright, a lawyer and Council Member of the Centre for Social Justice, insists that the intimidation claims raised by Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen at the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Super Delegates Conference deserve in-depth scrutiny.
Albright stressed that if the NPP regards Kyerematen as a significant figure within the party, they should not brush aside his concerns. He conveyed these sentiments on JoyNews’ Newsfile, noting that it’s not enough for the party to label Kyerematen as simply “disgruntled” with the electoral process.
Highlighting the numerical significance, Albright mentioned that when you combine the votes for Alan and Ken, they account for approximately 25% of the total votes, and both raised concerns about the election process. Thus, disregarding Alan’s grievance would be a misstep.
This discussion followed Kyerematen’s public withdrawal from the party’s flagbearer contest. The former Trade and Industry Minister cited instances that he believed disproportionately favored a specific candidate during the Super Delegates Conference. He also underscored the high degree of intimidation faced by delegates from all 16 regions, a level he labeled as unparalleled in the NPP’s annals.
Expressing his apprehension, Albright criticized the NPP for possibly downplaying Kyerematen’s accusations. He mentioned that overlooking such matters sends a concerning message about the party’s democratic approach.
In contrast, Haruna Mohammed, NPP’s Deputy General Secretary, challenged some of Kyerematen’s reasons for his exit from the flagbearer race. While on Newsfile, Mohammed pointed out perceived discrepancies in Kyerematen’s claims, especially concerning election rule breaches. He affirmed that not every voting center witnessed serious infractions, and the impacted centers were fewer than Kyerematen indicated.
Mohammed further explicated that the party’s constitution had set procedures for a Super Delegates election if more than five candidates vied for the flagbearer role. He contended that the NPP wouldn’t have accepted nominations from all candidates if there was any intent to bias the election towards a particular aspirant.
Source: Myjoyonline
