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Alan knows he can’t win, he can possibly be a kingmaker – Dr Asah-Asante
A Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, has stated that neither the movement by the former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen or any other party or individual can win the December 2024 elections.
According to him, Ghana’s two-party system will take a long time to pave way for any third force as has been the case in most two-party systems across the world.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday November 22, 2023, following the dismissal of some four New Patriotic Party (NPP) members for supporting Alan Kyerematen’s independent candidacy, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante noted that,“ a third force is a difficulty.
“In other jurisdictions, when you have two strong parties, that is a two-party system, you realize that other parties have been dwarfed. It will take a very long time for you to get a third force “he argued.
Asked whether December 2024 was that time for Ghana, he replied, “No, it is not.”
“A third force is actually a function of proportional representation. When you have such a system, it produces results such as that, and you can get evidence in Germany, Israel, Belgium and the rest of them.”
He, however, noted that in the case of Ghana, until the electoral system changes, the two main parties will continue to remain supreme.
“Other parties will continue to be eclipsed and they’ll be dwarfed.
So movements like that of Alan, the best they can do is to get some significant votes, add to other existing parties to be able to push elections into a second round. That is the best that they can do. We did some work, and if you look at the statistics, from 1992 up to 2020, all the other political parties put together in terms of their average performance, did not go beyond 4%,” he noted.
“So if you are talking about an individual who’s going to come in and cross the threshold of 50% and beyond, I am afraid that is not what Mr Alan Kyerematen is working for. He himself knows that it won’t work.”
What he [Alan Kyerematen] knows is that he can be a kingmaker by pushing the election to a second round where all those who are launching attacks against him that he’s not a candidate for this election and all that will go to him on their knees, that’s all that he’s fighting for. But for winning, he knows that it will not work,” Dr Asah-Asante stated emphatically.
But even on the ability of Mr Kyerematen to push the election into a second round, the Political Science lecturer said it was too early to make that prediction.
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
