United Party (UP) leader Alan Kyerematen has claimed that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 election defeat was partly linked to what he described as propaganda directed at him after he left the party to contest the presidential election as an independent candidate.
Speaking in an interview with United Television (UTV), Kyerematen said some NPP members began making statements aimed at undermining his reputation after he announced his decision to run independently.
He argued that the campaign against him eventually had an unintended effect, with some voters choosing not to support the NPP after his departure.
“Do you know that after leaving the party and contesting as an independent candidate, 2.1 million voters didn’t vote for the NPP?” he said.
Kyerematen acknowledged that he did not have enough time to organise a strong campaign capable of persuading all those voters to support his independent bid. However, he maintained that his decision to leave the NPP still had consequences for the party’s support base.
He said the situation was compounded by claims within the NPP that his independent campaign lacked the backing needed to attract significant votes.
“Then there was propaganda that I didn’t have people to vote for me,” he added.
According to Kyerematen, some voters responded to his departure by deciding that they would also withhold their support from the NPP.
He suggested that the party’s own post-election assessment showed that some voters who had previously supported the NPP chose not to do so after he left and launched his independent campaign.
Kyerematen further hinted that there were additional details surrounding the 2024 election that he was not yet ready to make public.
“There are some things that, at the appropriate time, I will disclose,” he said.
His comments came in response to questions about the outcome of the December 2024 presidential election and the factors that contributed to the NPP’s defeat.
Kyerematen, a former Trade and Industry Minister, left the NPP and contested the 2024 presidential election under the Movement for Change banner. The movement was later rebranded as the United Party.
While making the claims, Kyerematen did not provide independent evidence establishing that exactly 2.1 million voters withheld their votes from the NPP because of his departure. His remarks therefore represent his assessment of the impact his exit and the subsequent political campaign had on the party’s electoral performance.
