Immediate past Minister for Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen is set to resign from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the second time in his political career, 3news.com has gathered.
The two-time Minister of Trade, under the governments of John Agyekum Kufuor and, until recently, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was one of 10 people who contested last month's NPP Super Delegates Conference, which reduced the number of people in the NPP flagbearership contest from 10 to 5.
After placing a disappointing 3rd in the election, behind Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong, Mr Kyerematen announced his withdrawal from the race ahead of the main election in November, citing intimidation of his supporters and unfair treatment to one of his agents, precisely in the North East Region.
Sources close to the former NPP flagbearer hopeful say he is set to announce his second resignation from the party, at a scheduled press conference on Monday, September 25.
The sources also revealed that Alan Kyerematen will announce his decision to contest the 2024 Presidential election as an independent candidate to “pay back the NPP for humiliating Alan” in last month's Special Delegates Conference.
“I can confirm to you that Chief Alan is all set to announce his resignation from the NPP, and go independent. Unless there is a last-minute change of mind, he will resign from the party and go independent,” one of the sources said.
“What happened in the Special Delegates Conference last month was really not good. The way the party voted was disappointing. It was really humiliating that considering all he has done and his stature in the party, he was third behind Kennedy Agyapong. Since he is not valued, he will resign and go independent and pay back the party,” the source added.
The source, however, revealed that a significant number of Alan Kyerematen's allies across the country are not in favour of his decision to go independent and they have refused to be part of it.
A staunch supporter of Alan and MP for Mpraeso, Davies Opoku, widely known in political circles as OPK, said in the immediate aftermath of Alan Kyerematen's withdrawal from the NPP flagbearership race that he will not support him if he goes independent.
Since then, many of those who supported Alan Kyerematen's NPP flagbearership bid across the country, including significant number of his regional coordinators, have publicly declared their support for Vice President Bawumia.
Following Alan Kyerematen's resignation from the NPP in 2007, his intended resignation will be the second time from the NPP for similar reasons.
In April 2008, after he placed second behind Nana Akufo-Addo in the NPP presidential primaries, Alan Kyerematen resigned from the NPP, before later rescinding his decision.
Upon his return to the party, he contested in the 2010 and 2014 primaries, as well as as the current primaries.