Nana Addo, Alan Kyeremanten renew rivalry

Kwabena Agyepong, former presidential spokesman who is believed to be a strong supporter of Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, and a few party gurus who spoke to The Chronicle newspaper thinks it is too early for anybody to talk about intra party politics, because the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is still processing the Supreme Court verdict.

The Chronicle can, however, report on authority that the intra party politics has already started with Nana Addo and his longtime foe, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, lacing their boots to battle it out in the yet-to-be-fixed date for the National Delegate Congress (NDC) to elect the flagbearer and other national executives of the party.

In his acceptance speech after the Supreme Court verdict, Nana Addo said: “I am sure there are many people wondering what I envisage for my political future. I intend to take some time out of the hurly-burly of politics, get some rest, reflect, and then announce whatever decision I come to in the not too distant future.”

Party strongmen, who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity, told these reporters that Nana would definitely be contesting the NPP primary once again, and that his recent statement that he wants to take leave of politics was a strategic decision. Whilst Nana is secretly lacing his boots, Alan Kyerematen is also said to be strategising to have a third shot at the primary, after losing to Nana Addo on two occasions.

In the 2008 National Delegates Congress held at the University of Ghana, Legon, Alan Kyerematen was beaten by Nana Addo, but the latter failed to secure the required majority to make him the outright winner. After consultations with party executives, Alan, as he is popularly known, conceded defeat, thereby allowing Nana Addo to be declared the winner.

With Nana Addo failing to win the national election, Alan came back in 2010 to contest Nana Addo once again. This time, with the expanded electoral college of 130,000 delegates, Alan still lost to Nana Addo with a wide margin of 61,541,000.

Whilst Nana Addo garnered 83,361 votes, Alan Kyerematen garnered 21,820, which represents 20.40% of the valid votes cast, as against Nana’s 77.92%. Unfortunately, after the 2010 primary, Alan went into self-imposed exile in Ethiopia, where he was doing work for the United Nations. Much was not heard of him until last year, when he emerged to contest the presidency of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a job he failed to secure. Connoisseurs had argued that it was impossible for Africa, which controls less than 2% of the world trade, to have a candidate that would head such a big organisation, therefore, Alan’s failure did not come as a surprise.

That failure, however, forced the handsome-looking Mr. Alan Kyerematen to focus his attention on domestic politics. He was a regular visitor to the Supreme Court, which was hearing the Nana Addo, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumiah and Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey’s election petition case. Alan was also present when the final judgement was delivered last week Thursday. A source close to him told The Chronicle that Alan Kyerematen would never abandon his dream of becoming the flagbearer of the NPP, and that now that the court case had been settled, he would announce his intention to contest the primary once again, thereby renewing the rivalry between him and Nana Addo.

At the December 2008 presidential election, Nana Addo, who is once again going to battle Alan, pulled 49% of the votes in the first round of voting, but that was not enough to make the 50% percent mark to make him winner of the elections over his opponent John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress. In the run-off, John Evans Mills pulled 50.23%, thus beating Akufo-Addo to win that election.

Following the untimely death of President Atta Mills in June, 2012, Nana Addo was highly tipped to win against new entrant John Mahama, who took over the presidential leadership slot in his party unopposed, after the demise of his boss, with only four months to the elections. But Nana Addo, again, failed to take advantage of the situation, as he was beaten by President John Dramani Mahama. He, however, challenged Mahama’s victory at the Supreme Court, which ruled last Thursday.

Nana Addo though, disagrees and is saddened by the Supreme Court’s verdict, but accepts it wholly without seeking a review. But, while the dust is yet to settle after the Supreme Court verdict, minds have been sent wandering on the future leadership of the NPP. But the deep throat sources, which spoke these reporters, insist Nana would definitely return on the ballot paper in 2016, should he manage to beat Alan’s challenge.