Economist and political analyst, Dr. Theo Acheampong, has expressed doubts about the likelihood of former Trade Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, reversing his decision to rejoin the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Dr. Acheampong believes that if Mr. Kyerematen were to return to the NPP, it could significantly harm his credibility.
He clarified that Mr. Kyerematen’s decision to resign from the party was not rooted in issues of trust or credibility among potential voters.
During an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile program on a Saturday, Dr. Acheampong questioned Mr. Kyerematen’s motivations for remaining with the party and in government during a period of economic underperformance, only to later break away from the NPP to establish his own movement.
“If he had won the nomination to lead the NPP, would he have broken away to form a new party,” he quizzes.
Dr. Acheampong stressed that there are concerns about the timing of Mr. Kyerematen’s decision and whether it truly reflects his intent to bring about positive changes for the country.
“The message is not the issue, what he wants to do, economy restructuring – at least everyone of the parties in Ghana has spoken about similar things in the past so it comes down to whether or not he would be able to win the election.
“At the moment, if you look at the history, the trends, and even the people he’s trying to target – the youth and the middle-class group, I doubt that he would be able to push and win the election,” he said.
These remarks were made in reaction to comments from the Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC), Nana Akomea, who holds the view that it would be a rational step for the NPP to initiate discussions with Mr. Kyerematen to consider the prospect of his return to the party.
Nana Akomea speaking on the show said “I hope that we keep talking to him, point out to him that this your course of action will not benefit you, it is not going to benefit the NPP, we are better off together.”
One of the rationales offered by the former Trade and Industry Minister for his resignation was his suspicion that the party had shown preferential treatment to a specific candidate during the NPP’s Super Delegates Conference.
Nevertheless, Nana Akomea contended that this justification lacked merit, particularly in light of the extensive participation of party members in the nomination process.