One of the leading contenders in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearership race, Alan Kyerematen, officially withdrew his candidature with hours to balloting towards the November 4 polls.
The announcement made via a press release signed by the former trade minister caps a hectic last 24 hours for the diplomat and one-time minister.
September 5, 2023 started with a planned press conference long advertised by Alan's team as one of the biggest news events to look up to.
That was not to be when information was circulated that the press conference had been called off.
"This is to kindly inform the general public that the Press Conference scheduled for today, Tuesday, Sept. 5th 2023 at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel at 2:00pm has been cancelled," a message circulated on his social media handles noted.
Five hours on, at around 7:00pm, Alan has shot himself into the news headlines with the withdrawal announcement.
Reasons for the move:
Alan cites the intimidation of delegates in the recently held Super Delegates Conference as a principal reason.
He also believes the system has been skewed to favour a particular candidate and that the party is doing very little to enforce agreed upon rules and regulations for the primary.
The announcement confirms earlier reports that the former minister planned on stepping down during the 2:00pm press conference.
It is unclear what Alan will do in the near future. There are unconfirmed reports he could explore the possibility of running as an independent candidate ahead of the 2024 General Elections.
Alan came third in the Super Delegates Congress, behind Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong.
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Alan Kyerematen, former Minister of Trade and Industry
