Outspoken New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, believes the party risks staying in opposition forever if the plan by the many number of presidential aspirants hoping to lead the party prevails.
The NPP MP is of the view that some of the aspirants are parading as decoys to enhance the chances of others.
To the Assin Central, the party is yet to learn its lessons from the “17 contestant’s episode” in 2007, which nearly tore the NPP apart.
The Constitution of the party says that if more than five candidates file and are vetted to contest, a special electoral college of some 847 party executives including all 275 constituency chairmen and all NPP MPs, would have to vote to reduce the number to five.
So far, about seven candidates have picked nomination forms to contest for the flagbearership slot; the latest being Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who picked up his forms on Wednesday morning.
But to Hon. Ken Agyapong, some of the aspirants have no genuine intentions of contesting for the slot, but have only entered the race to cause distraction and prevent one particular candidate from winning.
“Some of the aspirants have diabolic intentions, they are being used as decoys, just to prevent a candidate from winning…..the party has not learnt any lesson from the ‘17 contestant’s episode’ in 2007 which nearly tore the party apart. Some aspirants have deliberately join the race to bring the number to more than the five cut-off point as provided in the constitution of the party. They intend to gang up against the strongest contender to kick him out to pave way for their preferential candidate in a special Electoral College but I can assure you that it will not work; if they succeed with their plan then the party will stay in opposition forever,” he insinuated on Okay Fm’s “Adeakye Abea” Morning Show.
Though the Assin Central MP stopped short of mentioning the names of so-called decoys, he threatened to disclose their identities should they persist with their evil intention of breaking the rank and file of the party just for their preferred candidate to be the Flagbearer.
He believes the party would be saved all these troubles if the so-called candidates would stop tickling themselves and know that they stand no chance at all, as the contest is rather between Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen.
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(Selorm) | 
(Nana Kwesi)