Founder and leader of the United Party (UP), Alan Kyerematen, has said his departure from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) contributed to the party’s decline in votes in the 2024 presidential election.
Mr Kyerematen made the claim during an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, saying some NPP stalwarts had acknowledged that his exit had an impact on the party’s electoral performance.
“I cannot say that I was the reason 2.1 million people didn’t vote for NPP. But from what some NPP stalwarts are saying, my exit contributed in a way,” he said.
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The former NPP presidential aspirant left the party in September 2023 after withdrawing from its presidential primary process. He subsequently contested the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate under the Movement for Change, which was later reorganised into the United Party.
Mr Kyerematen said some NPP members initially dismissed his decision to leave the party, arguing that an independent candidate would have little influence on the election.
“They were saying there was no way an independent candidate could make any impact. So if I want to go, they should let me go,” he said.
NPP vote decline
According to Mr Kyerematen, some NPP members also engaged in what he described as propaganda intended to discredit his independent presidential bid.
He said the campaign against him contributed to some former NPP supporters deciding not to vote for the party in the 2024 election.
“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 asked.
Mr Kyerematen also said he had openly acknowledged that the short period between his departure from the NPP and the 2024 election would make it difficult to organise a large enough support base for his independent campaign.
“Then there was propaganda that I didn’t have people to vote for me. Their own report after losing the election said, since they said Alan Kyerematen is an independent candidate, then we will also not vote for them,” he stated.
The Electoral Commission’s published results show that NPP presidential candidate Mahamudu Bawumia secured 4,877,611 votes in the 2024 presidential election.
That represented a decline from the 6,730,587 votes obtained by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election.
Mr Kyerematen, who contested the 2024 election as an independent candidate, received 32,457 votes according to the figures cited in the election results.
The difference between the NPP’s 2020 and 2024 presidential vote totals was therefore about 1.85 million votes. The 2.1 million figure cited by Mr Kyerematen is higher and reflects his own assessment of the party’s decline.
Acknowledging impact
Mr Kyerematen’s comments come shortly after NPP National Chairman aspirant John Boadu said the party had not handled his departure well.
Mr Boadu said in an August 2026 interview that the consequences of Mr Kyerematen’s departure went beyond the votes he personally obtained in the 2024 election. He also cited what he described as an image problem created by tensions between supporters of Mr Kyerematen and NPP members.
Mr Alan Kyerematen said further details from the NPP’s post-election assessment could provide more information on the factors behind the party’s decline.