The National Interest Movement’s (NIM) founder, Dr. Abu Sakara Foster, has claimed that young people were financially coerced into rejoining the New Patriotic Party after leaving Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change.

On Monday, April 22, a number of young politicians who had previously defected from the NPP to join Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change declared their intention to rejoin the party. At a press conference, the group—led by former Adentan parliamentary candidate Alfred Ababio Kumi—admitted that quitting the NPP was a mistake.

The NPP is allegedly attempting to bribe young people to abandon their support of Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change and join the NPP, according to the Nationwide Supporters of Alan Cash (NAWSAC). NAWSAC expressed concern about the NPP’s tactics in a statement released on Monday, April 22, 2024, and advised the youth not to be swayed by financial incentives.

Dr. Abu Sakara described his decision to leave the Movement for Change as “insignificant” and denied knowing the leader of the defectors in an interview with Bernard Avle on the Point of View on Citi TV.

Claiming their alliance to be one of conviction, he said that those who are looking for political convenience will always go to other political parties.

“That is good news, it means that they are taking us seriously. What is new in Ghana that we have not seen before? They go around and get some people who are not even important. I don’t even know this person and have never met this person. I have no idea who he is, and many of the other people also don’t know him.

“We know that many people were approached to be induced with money to defect. That they know, he’s the only one who has done it, and you cannot tell me that in one hundred sheep, there cannot be one black one. It’s even good that people who you planned maybe to rely on moved out now. In case they become polling agents and then that one will be too late.

“So, we’re not here to force people to be with us, we’re here to have an alliance of conviction. It’s not an alliance of convenience. Those people who are looking for political convenience will always defect to one area or another which is more convenient. We’re trying to build a political conviction, that will be sustainable and durable.”