Professor Smart Sarpong, a Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, has taken with a pinch of salt some of the things said by Alan Kyerematen as basis for his withdrawal from the New Patriotic Party's upcoming presidential election.

The former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen, who polled 95 votes in the NPP super delegates election, hence securing a third position on the list of the top five candidates to contest in the November 4th election, yesterday announced his decision to abstain from the upcoming primary.

He cited intimidation, violence and skewing of results for one candidate as his reasons for withdrawing from the contest.

Alan's Statement

"After having carefully analysed the results of the said elections, it is absolutely clear to me from events leading to, during and after the elections, that the Special Delegates Conference was strategically and tactically skewed in favour of one particular Aspirant. The pronouncements made by some leading Members of our Party both before and after the elections, also lend weight to my observations.

"The level of intimidation of varying intensity, directly and indirectly unleashed on a significant number of Delegates at various Voting Centers across the sixteen regions, is unprecedented in the history of our Party. In addition, the fact that my Polling Agent in the North East region has suffered severe damage to his eye sight, arising from his bold and courageous effort to ensure compliance with the very rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections as approved by the Presidential Elections Committee, will forever remain a dark spot in the history of internal elections within the Party. This incident and various acts of violence and collusion, reported in other Voting Centers, are appalling, unconscionable, and despicable," he said in an official statement.

He stressed; "In light of the foregoing, I wish to confirm that I am honourably withdrawing from the process that will lead to the Presidential Primaries to be held on the 4th of November 2023."

Prof. Smart Sarpong Replies Alan

To Prof. Smart Sarpong, Alan Kyerematen's accusations are far-fetched.

He found it unconvincing that Alan or any candidate would blame Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the unfortunate incidents that characterized the party's special election or think the Vice President's landslide victory was due to intimidation.

Though acknowledging there is some level of intimidation and violence in every election, he however finds it hard believing the election was skewed in favor of Dr. Bawumia.

He noted the delegates who voted for the Vice President as well as the other candidates voted out of their own conviction but not because any candidate intimidated them.

"132 of them voting for Ken would not have been based on Ken's inducement or change of their minds. 95 voting for Chief Alan would not have because they wouldn't have voted for Chief Alan on an ordinary day but Chief Alan turned their minds or tuned their minds before they voted. No!

"If it is not so for those who voted for Ken and it is not so for those who voted for Alan, why would anybody on the normal day think that the 629 that voted for Dr. Bawumia, they didn't do it out of their own conviction?", he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show.

"Sometimes, there is a fair ground but you may decide to create an unfair ground. If I were the one going into the competition, I would have assumed that the system is fair. This intimidation, if I sit and I analyze and found that intimidation can play any role, I would also find a way of intimidating somebody. If indeed intimidation can score marks, I would also find how to intimidate somebody. If skewness can indeed score marks, I would also find how to skew the system but if I can't intimidate or skew, like Chief Alan has done, I will pull out," he emphasized.