By Edward Acquah
Accra, Aug. 28, GNA- The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Super Delegates” Saturday chose four of the ten candidates who would compete in the Party’s main presidential primaries on November 4, 2023.
Except for an incident in the North East Region that resulted in an alleged assault on a polling agent of Mr Alan Kyerematen, one of the contestants, the election was otherwise peaceful.
Mr Stephen Ayesu Ntim, Chairman of the NPP, told journalists in Accra on Saturday that the disturbance at the North East Polling Centre was triggered by a “simple misunderstanding.”
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia won by a landslide after obtaining 629 votes, which represented 68.15 per cent of the total votes cast.
Mr Kennedy Agyapong came in second with 132 votes, representing 14.3 per cent of the vote. Mr Alan Kyerematen and Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto finished third and fourth, with 95 and 36 votes, respectively.
Mr Francis Addai-Nimoh and Mr Boakye Agyarko tied for the fifth spot with 9 votes each. The Electoral Commission has announced that a run-off election would be held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, to break the stalemate.
If none of the two candidates agrees to step down for the other, the winner of the run-off joins the other four candidates in the November 4 presidential primaries.
Although many NPP supporters and political observers had predicted that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Alan Kyerematen, and Keneddy Agyapong would be the frontrunners, the margins reported have sent tongues wagging.
Another surprise, as indicated by the reactions, was the performance of Kennedy Agyapong, who gained 37 more votes than Mr. Kyerematen, who some observers said would give Dr. Bawumia a run for his money.
The campaign team of Dr Bawumia maintains that the outcome of the Super Delegates Congress “reflects the views of the Party’s delegates” and that their candidate would clinch the presidential slot.
Dr. Bawumia told journalists after the polls that the Super Delegates Congress was “only the first step toward winning the party’s flagbearership,” and challenged the NPP to work toward the 2024 election.
On the other hand, Mr. Kyerematen’s campaign team argued that the delegates who voted at the Super Delegates Congress were primarily appointees and that the grassroots delegates, who number over 200,000, would be the main deciders in the November 4 presidential primaries.
In a statement, Mr. Kyerematen said his campaign team was evaluating the election outcome and would deliver a public broadcast on the next move of his campaign later in the week.
He did, however, voice concern about what he termed an assault on his polling agent in the North East Region, describing it an “indelible blot” on the integrity of the electoral process.
The “Super Delegates” that participated in Saturday’s election only constitute about 0.5 per cent of the over 200,000 delegates that would participate in the main presidential primaries.
There have been differing views on whether the decision of the Super Delegates, composed of National Officers, NPP Members of Parliament, Regional Executives, Former National Officers, the President, Former Presidents, and Founding Fathers, represented the views of the broader electoral college qualified to vote on November 4.
In an interview, Professor Kobby Mensah, a political marketing strategist, faulted the nature of the Super Delegates Congress, saying the decision to decentralise the elections “made it difficult for people to vote against the rules.”
“It is easy for people to be picked out for going against the norm. If they have congregated, people wouldn’t have been hedging to vote in a particular direction,” he said.
Assessing the chances of the frontrunners in the election 2024, Prof. Mensah said: “If the delegates will look at the broader picture as to who would win the elections, then we expect Alan to win. But resources will play a key point and if it plays out then that can change the dynamics.”
Professor Ransford Gyampo, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the University of Ghana’s Centre for European Studies, stated on Facebook that the outcome of the NPP’s Super Delegates Congress was not surprising.
“The majority of the delegates were “politically made” by the establishment and their continuous stay in office as appointees, and even as elected people, is based on the support of the establishment. They couldn’t have varied their votes.
“The future of the NPP Presidential Aspirant race is heavily pregnant with definitely hugely uncertain possibilities,” he wrote.
The battle lines appear to have been drawn with just over two months to the presidential primaries on November 4, 2023. The four contenders who got through the first hurdle have been given a preview of their positions within the Party’s upper echelons.
Although the views of the Super Delegates may not necessarily reflect those of the grassroots, it provides an opportunity for all aspirants to return to the drawing board, reflect, and package their messages to win the hearts of the Party’s kingmakers.
GNA
