NPP vows to break 8-year power cycle jinx
NPP bans campaigning ahead of internal elections
Managing editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has criticized the governing New Patriotic Party particularly its General Secretary, John Boadu over the latter’s insistence on a ban on campaigning ahead of the party’s internal elections to elect party executives and a flagbearer.
According to the ace journalist, campaigning has begun in earnest as candidates vying for various positions in the party were crisscrossing the country in their bid to canvass for support ahead of the elections.
He said such persons who lived in a state of denial of this fact were ‘behaving like ostriches’.
“Some people are behaving like ostriches with regard to this campaign…why?...all of us…every day as we travel around the country, as we engage in a number of activities and so on…see the posters of these self-declared aspirants all over the place….they have posters all over the place.
“Beyond the posters are these huge expensive billboards all over the place…declaring support for one candidate or the other. we have heard public declarations by individuals of their interest in the race. As we speak, we know that some of the contestants are going round the country meeting delegates …doing all kinds of things to enhance their chances of becoming party officials, flagbearers and so on,” Kwesi Pratt said on Pan African TV's 'Alhaji and Alhaji', Saturday, January 15, 2022.
“There’s a group called Friends of Bawumia which is constantly holding press conferences, attacking others in the party who seek to challenge his ambition…the campaigning has begun whether you like it or not. Why are they pretending that it is not yet time for the campaigning…who are they fooling? Those who are issuing the statements saying it is not time for campaigning and so on are themselves campaigning so who are you fooling?
“Those who are sitting on television and radio, threatening to punish those who campaign are themselves campaigning so who are they fooling. Why are they attempting to fool themselves and fool the rest of us when we know the campaign has begun in earnest,” he added.
Kwesi Pratt Jnr also lamented the unfairness being meted out to some candidates who have declared their intention to contest for a position – a situation he believes will break the party’s front if not nipped in the bud.
Particularly mentioning former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, and Trades and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, he suggested that the two who are reported to be interested in the NPP flagbearership slot were being maligned in their bid to whip up their support base ahead of the NPP internal elections.
It will be recalled that the NPP last year in December placed a ban on all forms of campaigning ahead of the party’s national annual delegates conference in Kumasi.
To this end, persons who had erected billboards in the Ashanti region were asked to pull it down or face sanctions from the party.
Veteran journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr