The Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has resigned from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to contest for office as an independent candidate in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Mr Kyerematen who earlier announced his withdrawal from the NPP presidential primaries, after the party’s super delegate conference said, the NPP had been hijacked by “some party elders, unscrupulous people and party apparatchik” who deliberately failed to follow structures of the party in addressing concerns of its members.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Accra, Mr Kyerematen said all effort in using internal structures of the party to address his concerns proved futile, hence, the immediate decision to form his own political movement, known as “Movement for Change”.
He said it was abundantly clear to him, that his services and contributions to the NPP were not appreciated, and that his continuous stay in the party would create further tension and division, which was an exact replay of circumstances that led to his decision to resign from the party in 2008.
“It was my fervent wish to use the vehicle of the party to bring my God-given talents, experience, and knowledge acquired both locally and internationally over a period of 46 years, to serve our dear nation, at the highest level of executive authority,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen said to actualise his vision and dreams of becoming the next President of Ghana, the brand logo for the movement was the Monarch Butterfly, which politically symbolises change and transformation, hope, and positivity.
He added that, the logo also communicates strength, endurance, spirituality, and trust, which were key traits that he cherished as a political leader, adding the brand motto of the movement is “Ghana will rise again,” which symbolises hope for the future of Ghana”.
“The new movement will be led and powered by the youth of Ghana. Out of the over 17 million registered voters in the 2020 general election, the youth aged 18-35 years constituted over 9.4 million voters representing 55 per cent of the total voters.
It is acknowledged without doubt, that the youth represent the future of our country, and yet they constitute the most vulnerable section of our society. From available statistics, 85 per cent of all prison inmates in Ghana are aged between 12 and 35 years. This is profoundly alarming,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen noted that, the establishment of the movement, would change the political status quo by moving Ghana beyond the duopoly of the two main political parties in Ghana; the NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said, this would break divisive partisanship in governance, and bring an end to the “winner takes all” political syndrome, adding “there is the need to promote reforms in the internal democratic processes and procedures of all political parties, such as introducing ‘One Man One Vote’ (OMOV) to ensure inclusiveness, and reduce the effect of monetisation in politics”.
He vowed to address the pressing issues facing the country, including but not limited to economic development, job creation, and social welfare.
Mr Kyerematen said, every year over 300,000 graduates from tertiary institutions in Ghana, excluding those from secondary institutions, enter the job market with little or no hope of finding a job.
This he said, was phenomenon of pervasive employment crisis, which is gradually becoming a national security threat, as evidenced by the recent “Occupy Julorbi House” demonstrations noting “the initial reaction of the police in manhandling some protestors was not the solution to the problem”.
Present were Former Member of Parliament for Madina, Mr Boniface Abubakar Saddique; Mr Buabeng Asamoah, former MP for Adenta; Former MP for Ejisu, Mr Akwasi Osei; and Former MP for Subin, Mr S.K Boafo.
…It’s unfortunate–NPP
The General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Koduah, in a statement described Mr Kyerematen’s resignation as unfortunate and disclosed that the leadership will address the party on Tuesday.
“The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken notice of the unfortunate decision of Mr Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, a long-standing member of the Party, to forfeit his membership and contest as an independent presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections.”
“The party leadership is by this medium, urging the rank and file of our great party to remain calm and await an official address by the party to Mr Kyerematen’s resignation at 14:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at the party headquarters.”
BY BERNARD BENGHAN & EMMANUELLA AKIMBI