The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) dismissal of some supporters of Alan Kyerematen can trigger defiance among Party members who support him behind the scenes, Professor Alidu Seidu, a political scientist, has said.
He observed that a “whole lot” of NPP members still supported Mr Kyerematen, but were also committed to the Party and cautioned that the outright dismissal of some members could cause disunity in the NPP.
Prof. Seidu, who is also the Head of Political Science Department, University of Ghana, was reacting to the NPP’s dismissal of four supporters of Mr Kyerematen, who were also members of the Party.
The Party in a statement on Monday announced the dismissal of Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Yaw Buaben Asamoa as members of the NPP.
The NPP accused the four officers of openly declaring support for Kyerematen’s Movement for Change –a vehicle for his independent presidential campaign.
The statement signed by Mr Justin Kodua Frimpong, General Secretary, NPP, said the four persons have “automatically forfeited their membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).”
“They are, therefore, no longer members of the Party,” it added.
Prof. Seidu in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, criticised the NPP’s handling of the matter, saying the Party should have invited the four accused persons to explain themselves before taking any disciplinary action.
He said the action could also give credence to Mr Kyerematen’s accusation that the Party was intolerant and discriminatory, leading to his decision to quit the NPP.
Prof. Seidu said the move could deepen divisions within the Party and undermine reconciliation efforts following Mr Kyerematen’s resignation from the NPP and subsequently forming his own Party to contest elections in 2024.
“There are still a whole lot of people – both grassroots and Party hierarchy – who love this man and want to support him, but still think that they can contribute their quota to the NPP while supporting him behind the scenes.
“But these kinds of actions can trigger a positive defiance on the part of the grassroots or people who support him. If care is not taken, it can lead to a serious misunderstanding and disunity within the Party,” Prof. Alidu said.
Mr Kyerematen, in September this year, withdrew from the NPP’s presidential primary and subsequently resigned from the Party, and declared his readiness to contest the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate.
Key members of Mr Kyerematen’s campaign team during the NPP’s presidential primary were Nana Ohene Ntow, a former General Secretary of the NPP; Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the immediate-past Director of Communications, NPP; Boniface Abubakar Saddique, former NPP Member of Parliament for Madina, and Hopeson Adorye, a former NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Kpong Katamanso.
They have all been accused of still campaigning for Mr Kyerematen openly as an independent candidate, contrary to Article 3(9) (1) of the Party’s Constitution.
When contacted, Mr Asamoa told the GNA that he would officially respond to his dismissal with a statement soon.