Executive director of Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has disclosed that the flagbearer aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Agyapong, resonates with the aspirations of Ghanaians.
According to him, despite Kennedy Agyapong’s disposition in strongly expressing his views, Ghanaians are at a stage where they do not really care about such things. He revealed that the masses are fed up with the system and desire a change.
Furthermore, Mr Braimah indicated that the face of the 2024 elections will change if Mr Agyapong doesn’t win the flagbearership race, and he decides that he is forming a certain coalition that will go against the NDC.
He explained that at this stage, all indicators point to the fact that whatever is happening under the NPP government is benefiting the NDC in one way or the other.
“… I asked somebody who said the guy talks by heart and says things anyhow. I said so those who don’t say things anyhow, since 1992 what has been the experience of having those people in power? People want work, employment, a system that works, people want corruption rooted out.
“I am not saying Kennedy Agyapong has all that but in terms of the rhetoric and how he presents himself out there, he certainly resonates with the aspirations of the masses and to that extent, he certainly will still represent a major force.”
Sulemana Braimah
Commenting on whether a third force on Ghana’s political scene has the needed organization, efficiency and transformation to engender change in the country, Mr Braimah stated that there isn’t any.
He explained that at the moment it doesn’t seem like a third force can create much upset in the context of the 2024 elections, unless Ken Agyapong doesn’t win and decides that he’s going to be in a certain form of coalition.
“I still see him as a significant force in this whole exercise because of what he represents and how that resonates with the current situation that we find ourselves in as a country…”
Sulemana Braimah
Chances of Kennedy Agyapong winning
Across the regions, Mr Braimah highlighted that people are of the opinion that “democracy is receding and it’s on a back footing. To this, he noted that the manifestations are not just when a country suffers coup d’état as it’s evident in Burkina, Mali, Niger and Guinea.
“The manifestations are in different ways and if you look here in Ghana, the manifestations are in the form of citizens losing trust in the political system, the youth feeling so hopeless and helpless, the NDC, NPP are just different in names but same in practice and orientation and so on.”
Sulemana Braimah
Emphasizing his view on the desperation of Ghanaians to see change in the country, Mr Braimah highlighted that successive governments haven’t done their best in realizing the aspirations of Ghanaians.
As a consequent, he maintained that the uniqueness in the “Kennedy Agyapong factor” is that even as he is still within the party, he’s trying to establish himself as somebody who is different.
“Over the years, President Kufuor campaigned and won on the back of corruption against the Rawlings regime, Mills-Mahama won against the NPP on the back of corruption in the Kufuor regime, Akufo-Addo won 2016 on the back of corruption in the NDC. Now, in fact, the issue of corruption perhaps is worse than all those that we have witnessed.”
Sulemana Braimah
Moreover, Mr Braimah expressed that for a person of Mr Agyapong’s caliber and the messages he’s sending around, he is representing the “disenchantment and hopelessness of the majority youth”.
In light of this, he revealed that if doesn’t win and Kennedy Agyapong decides to form an alliance with any of the other political parties, he would certainly be a major force for 2024 elections.
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