Alan Kyerematen, Addai Nimoh file flag-bearer nominations
Two presidential hopefuls of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Mr Francis Addai Nimoh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, have become the first aspirants to submit their nomination forms to contest the presidential primary of the party tentatively scheduled for December 6, 2014.
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They submitted their documents at the NPP headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra yesterday morning ahead of the Monday, July 7, 2014 deadline after paying the nomination fee of GH¢75,000 each.
The aspirants had paid GH¢10,000 each when they picked nomination forms on June 6, 2014.
With the submission of the forms, the two will move to the next stage of the contest — vetting.
Mr Kyerematen, who was accompanied by a group playing brass band, was the first to submit the forms, followed immediately by Mr Nimoh, a first timer in the flag-bearer race of the party.
Mr Nimoh, like Mr Kyerematen, arrived at the party headquarters amidst brass band music, with a broad banner on which was written: “Transforming weakness into power’’.
Outlining his vision after filing his nomination forms, Mr Kyerematen called for a national economic reconstruction on four thematic areas: stabilising the cedi, reducing loans, combating corruption and reducing interest rates and inflation.
He explained that that would require the selection of people of merit to fashion out the reconstruction programme which must be devoid of partisan politics.
He said the country had contracted so many loans whose interest payment was crippling the economy, since much of our revenue was used to service the loans and nothing was left for the country to undertake development projects.
Mr Kyerematen said because of corruption, the country was not able to utilise its resources efficiently and so the country had to resort to the vicious circle of borrowing in anticipation of making ends meet.
Mr Nimoh said he took the bold initiative to contest the flag-bearer slot, bearing in mind the fact that the executives of the party, from the national to the constituency levels, wound ensure fair, credible and transparent elections at all the levels.
He assured the leadership of the party that his campaign would be the cleanest to help raise the image of the party in the eyes of Ghanaians who were yearning for change and in the end the party would be the winner.
Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, the General Secretary of the NPP, who handed over the receipt and guidelines to the presidential hopefuls, emphasised that the National Executive would hold them responsible for any behaviour of their agents and supporters that would dent the image of the party such as the use of intemperate language on the airwaves.
Mr Agyepong urged the presidential hopefuls to carry out their campaigns devoid of acrimony to revive the confidence of the Ghanaian electorate in the NPP as a credible alternative that could deliver on its promise to redeem the country from this economic meltdown.
Seven presidential aspirants picked nomination forms to contest the presidential primary of the NPP.
With Mr Kyerematen and Mr Nimoh filing, the five aspirants yet to file before the July 7 closing date are Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister, Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw, MP for Assuogyaman, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, former Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo—2008 and 2012 flag-bearer of NPP, and Mr Joe Ghartey, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament.