Presidential candidate hopeful on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has alleged that some “small boys” around the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia were clandestinely working to disgrace Alan Kyerematen, another presidential candidate hopeful.
Highlighting a disunited NPP front as part of his ‘post-mortem’ of the Assin North by-election, Mr Agyapong said the protocol around the Vice President deliberately interrupted Alan Kyerematen’s address at the last rally at Assin North on Sunday, June 25.
This, he said, was part of the deliberate ploy to disgrace Alan Kyerematen and to portray him as not popular.
One “small boy” from my hometown who works at State House climbed the platform and instructed Alan Kyerematen to stop talking when the Vice President entered. “What an impudence,” he said.
They [protocol team and small boys] deliberately made Dr Bawumia to wait behind the crowd for some time, even though he had arrived at the venue earlier. They signaled him [Bawumia] to enter the grounds when they saw Alan Kyerematen had started speaking, Mr Agyapong alleged.
He said even though President Akufo-Addo and the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare arrived at the venue and were ushered onto the platform through the back route, the “small boys” around Bawumia deliberately made him pass through the crowd, disrupted Alan’s address to create attention for the Vice President,” and it was during that period that, that “small boy” from my hometown who works at the State House, told Alan to stop speaking.”
Why should they do this and later turn around to call for “reconciliation,” Mr Agyapong questioned and described the move as “nasty”.
Stressing why he is convinced the whole incident was planned, the MP said two people who took part in erecting the platform were close to him and were in his house the next day, and they confessed to him that the people swerved them.
After erecting the platform, they said the others brought a second “steps” and when they questioned the need for a second one when one had already been erected, they told them “it was for a special project.”
Mr Agyapong made his concerns known and made the allegation when he spoke to some NPP members as part of his campaign tour for consideration as flagbearer.
NPP presidential primary
Ken Agyapong, Alan Kyerematen and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia have been tipped as the front-runners among five candidates likely to easily cross the first hurdle of the NPP’s presidential race on August 26.
The other aspirants are Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Boakye Agyarko, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Joe Ghartey, Francis Addai-Nimoh, and Ernest Kwadwo Poku.
There are indications in addition to what proponents have said that, Bawumia, Kyerematen and Agyapong have already cleared the first hurdle and were only waiting for two from the remaining seven to join them for the November 4 primary.
The party will hold a special congress on August 26, 2023, to elect five candidates for the November 4 primary.
The NPP on Friday, June 30, inaugurated a nine-member vetting committee chaired by Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament to oversee the vetting of the 10 presidential aspirants. The vetting will start from Monday, July 3 to Thursday, July 6, 2023.
They will submit their report on July 10.