Mr. John Alan Kyerematen, former Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiative, (PSI), will in the next couple of days launch another bid to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 presidential election.
Alan's decision was as a result of pressures mounted on him by his admirers, supporters and bankrollers, after talks between him and the 2008 presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, broke down.
Some leading figures of the NPP, including, Mr. Apenteng Appiah-Menkah, Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders, have started moves to iron out any differences between the two leading NPP presidential contenders.
The talks, according to The Chronicle sources, was to persuade Alan Kyerematen to step down and allow Nana Addo contest the national primary unopposed, with the latter naming the former as his running mate. This, the paper said, “unfortunately could not succeed, prompting Alan to start criss-crossing the country to rejuvenate his support base.”
Aides to the former Trade Minister are reported to have confided in a reporter of The Chronicle that they were behind his move to contest the primary, because leading members of the NPP instead of speaking for the party were rather speaking for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
To this end, they have also resolved to put their men in strategic positions to speak for Mr. Kyerematen.
Meanwhile sources close to Nana Akufo-Addo have denied rumours that he was pleading with Alan to step down for him.
"It is not true. He has not made any attempt to that effect. He will not do it, because he is a firm believer of democracy," one of the sources told the reporter.
The source further hinted that Akufo-Addo was not afraid of any clean competition and that he was prepared to sit down with anyone in the interest of the party, but not to do anything to undermine the democratic credentials he has cherished so far.
"In any case, Akufo-Addo has not called for negotiations. He has not asked Alan Kyerematen to step down for him. He believes in democracy, but what we are hearing, which is unfortunate, is the way and the manner they are badmouthing Akufo-Addo. It is our hope that sanctity is brought into the game.
The fact is that if Akufo-Addo wants to contest, he would surely win, because he believes strongly in competition, and he would not do anything to suppress the will of the masses,'" the source said.
The source also told The Chronicle that though they acknowledged various moves being made by some leading members of the party to talk to Alan, Nana Addo has not in any way pressed upon his opponent to step down.
The Chronicle said Appiah-Menkah refused to comment on the matter when reached on the phone.
According to him, such issues were internal and that any attempt to speak on the matter would amount to abuse of confidence. To him negotiations were still ongoing.
“As far as I am concerned, we are still negotiating. I am not going to speak to the press on this matter, because it is our internal matter," he said.
