An Associate Professor of Political Marketing at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Kobby Mensah, believes that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is unlikely to achieve their goal of winning a third consecutive term in office. He holds this opinion due to the departure of former influential member, Alan Kyerematen, who resigned from the party and plans to run as an independent candidate in the 2024 elections.According to Prof.

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Mensah, Kyerematen's decision significantly diminishes the NPP's chances of 'breaking the eight'. He emphasized that Kyerematen's strong ties to the Ashanti Region, a crucial constituency for the NPP, could lead to a split in votes between him and the NPP. This split, coupled with his existing following within the party, may affect the NPP's ability to secure the 75 percent or more votes they need to win elections.

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“Clearly, if NPP was really serious about ‘breaking the eight’ and there was any significant possibility, I think that his departure to become an independent candidate actually nails that chance of them ‘breaking the eight’,” he stated.

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In response, Kyerematen has announced plans to launch his campaign, focusing on policies based on the Great Transformational Plan (GTP), a major policy initiative from his time in the NPP primaries.

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“Apart from the fact that he has significant following within the NPP itself, he is from the Ashanti [Region], a crucial constituency for the NPP and, for that matter, where perhaps his following is quite strong“I don’t see how NPP with Alan Kyerematen’s candidacy and the possible intense competition in terms of campaigning, don’t forget campaigns have effect in elections’ outcomes.

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If he is able to mount a very rigorous, compelling campaign, I suspect the Ashanti will be one of the significant areas that is going to have a very heavy intensive campaigning“And that means that he could possibly chip away significant amount of votes to deny NPP the 75 percent and above that perhaps they need to win elections.“So, I think it is really a big blow to the NPP especially in the Ashanti

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Region.”

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