Former Adentan constituency member Yaw Buaben Asamoa has accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of being unappreciative to Alan Kyerematen, a former minister of trade and industry and potential flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Buaben Asamoa, Alan Kyerematen sacrificed his own presidential aspirations in order to support Akufo-Addo, knowing that Akufo-Addo would appoint him to lead the party after his term.
On May 19, 2023, Buaben Asamoa revealed in an interview with Wontumi TV that in the 2007 and 2008 NPP primaries, which featured seventeen competitive candidates, including twelve cabinet members, Alan Kyerematen finished second and then-Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama finished third.
But Alan Kyerematen gave up his chance to face Akufo-Addo in a runoff in order to show his support for the latter’s efforts to strengthen party cohesion and their chances of success in the general elections. “Alan really prepared in 2007 and 2008, and that particular primary I am not sure we will see its type in Ghana ever again since it included seventeen strong candidates, roughly twelve of whom were all cabinet members, and there were many well-known people running at that time.
“So, what occurred following Kufuor’s presidency? People accused Kufour of backing Alan and refusing to cooperate because they preferred Nana Addo, and Kufuor complied. We traveled to Legon for the primary, where Alan finished second among all the large guys competing.
When Alan finished second and Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, may his soul rest in peace, finished third, a run-off was scheduled, but Alan gave it up for Akufo-Addo by stating, “My senior brother Nana Addo, I have given you the go-ahead.” I will thus make a sacrifice for you by encouraging you to run for president in order to strengthen our party’s unity and our ability to win the elections.
Asamoa claimed that in contrast to the party’s custom of supporting the loser from the previous election, president Akufo-Addo is now backing a different candidate to succeed him.
Akufo-Addo himself had previously criticized former President Kufour for supposedly backing Alan Kyerematen rather than him during his own campaign for the presidency in the 2007 and 2008 primaries, Buaben Asamoa added, pointing out the irony of the situation.
“However, if you check now, his senior brother’s (Akufo-Addo) time is up and he is about to leave. We have heard that he has positioned himself behind a different candidate to come and run, and the party is saying that as tradition demands like we did for you president in the past, and in your own words, you said after Alan sacrificed for you, he has done well, in his own words, so in the future when you complete your tenure you will allow Alan But now that it’s time to follow the rules, you’re doing the same thing about which you complained.
