Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency and Majority Leader of Parliament, has called on flagbearer aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to step aside and allow Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to lead the NPP into the 2024 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM on September 4, 2023, he revealed that he had proposed as far back as 2020 that Dr. Bawumia should lead the party, with Alan Kyerematen as his vice-presidential candidate. However, he asserted that his idea did not gain traction at the time, and multiple candidates entered the race for the party’s flagbearer position.
He added that some party elders advised against this course of action, cautioning that negative consequences could arise from such a move.
He then noted that Dr. Bawumia appears to be leading based on the margin of votes in the party’s recent super delegates’ elections. Dr. Bawumia garnered over 68% of the vote, while the other candidates collectively secured the remaining 32%.
When asked about the possibility of halting the aspirations of the other candidates, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that the party’s constitution remains supreme, and if the contenders choose to continue, the contest must proceed as stipulated by party rules.
Kwame: So, right now, if you have advice for your elder brother Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, what would you tell him?
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu: I have not betrayed Alan, but as early as 2020, I foresaw that, based on how things were unfolding, by the time we reach 2024, the Vice President would likely be leading the party. So, I began advocating for him as the president and Alan as the vice president.
Some questioned the order of precedence, asking who would be first and who would be second. I even proposed conducting independent research to determine the roles, but some of the elders advised against it, warning that my name might be implicated if negative consequences arose. So, I allowed the normal process to hold.
Therefore, if they had heeded my advice, I am not certain that those who entered the race would not have done so. However, that is now in the past. We are currently in a competitive situation with five candidates remaining. Dr. Bawumia has secured over 60% of the vote, while the rest of the contenders are sharing approximately 32% among nine candidates. In my view, this clearly indicates who is leading. So, for the sake of the political party, if certain people will understand and protect the unity and they will bow out, it will be wonderful.
Kwame: So, per what you are saying if they could be stopped it would help, right?
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu: Yes, it would help but our constitution is still supreme so, if they say they won’t stop then the contest must go on.
During the NPP super delegates election held on August 26, 2023, Bawumia garnered 629 votes representing 68.15 percent of the total votes cast to emerge tops of the August 26 super delegates conference.
In second place was Assin Central lawmaker, Kennedy Agyapong who polled 132 votes representing 14.30 percent while Alan Kyerematen polled 95 votes representing 10.29 percent.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto secured the fourth spot with 36 votes representing 3.90%.
This round of voting reduced the pool of contenders from 10 to five.
The final round, slated for November this year, will determine the substantive candidate of the NPP for the presidential election ahead of the 2024 general elections.