The Movement for Change’s leader, Alan Kyerematen, has spoken out against charges that the late President John Kufuor manipulated his participation in the 2007 New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries.
To attribute Kyerematen’s candidacy only to Kufuor’s influence is false and based on rumor, according to Kyerematen, who just resigned from the NPP to run as an independent presidential candidate in the 2024 elections.
The remarks were made by him in an interview with Bernard Avle on Citi TV’s “The Point of View.” The former NPP candidate for president explained that President Kufuor treated him equally to other candidates during the 2007 election.
“It is unfair to President Kufour for people to create the impression that because I was his favourite, he did all in his power to install me as his heir apparent and the reason I am saying that is that in 2005, all the people who eventually contested [the 2007 presidential primaries] had started doing underground moves and operations and I had made up my mind at that time that I would contest.
“When I went to inform him [President Kufour] that I had an interest and that my other colleagues had started moves undercover and that if he sees me also operating he should not be surprised, he told me to wait and do my work and that if people felt that I was the right person, they themselves would promote me.
“I went back three months after to tell him that people are campaigning openly and so I want to serve you notice that I will be going and he said, I cannot stop you but I want to tell you that, I will not support you and if there are people that I will support, it will be Nana Akufo-Addo, Aliu Mahama, Papa Owusu Ankomah, and then yourself and if any of you wins, I will be happy.”
