Some flagbearer aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) say President Nana Akufo-Addo’s decision to distance himself from endorsing any presidential aspirant is in the right direction.
They say it will ensure fairness in the party’s internal elections.
However, they are demanding he ‘walks the talk’ ahead of the August 26, Super Delegate’s Congress.
“The president has spoken. What we want to see is that he walks the talk. By merely saying it, it does not mean that he does not support a candidate,” one concerned party member said while speaking to JoyNews.
The spokeswoman for the Alan Campaign, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, also expressed concerns that in reality there is organised support behind a specific candidate despite the president’s public renunciation.
“It’s okay that the president as an individual says he doesn’t support any of the others. And indeed the president made a very, very significant statement.
“He said the spirit of the party will determine who actually wins this. And that I agree with him except that the establishment is not working in that way.
“The establishment which includes the president and others are demonstrating otherwise.”
Mr Asamoa urged his fellow party members to be vigilant for the upcoming primary elections to prevent them from being rigged in favour of an “establishment candidate.”
In addition, other flagbearer candidates expressed their hopes that candidates who claim endorsement from the president would refrain from doing so following the announcement of the president.
Nonetheless, the spokesperson for Francis Addai-Nimoh’s campaign team highlighted that the primary interest of the flagbearer aspirant [Mr. Addai-Nimoh] is that the forthcoming primary be conducted transparently and fairly.
The concerns of the flagbearer aspirants come on the back of a statement made by President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, August 2, during a meeting with party communicators.
He stated that he does not have a favoured candidate in the NPP’s presidential primaries, emphasising that delegates would select who leads the party in the election next year.
The President further stated that he would cast his vote for a candidate whom he believes could unite the party and win the 2024 presidential election.