Suame Constituency Member of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has disclosed that he initially supported Alan Kyerematen to become the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer.

According to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, he had anticipated Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's victory in the NPP's 2023 presidential primaries and believed that Alan Kyerematen would have been an ideal choice to accompany Bawumia as his running mate.

In a statement, the Majority Leader expressed surprise at Kyerematen's decision to leave the NPP and form his own Movement for Change, running as an independent candidate for the 2024 elections.

He explained that since 2021, he has been advocating for Kyerematen to be included in the NPP's leadership team without needing a contested presidential primary.

"Most of the party leaders are aware that since 2021, I have been vouching for Alan, and I believed we could build a consensus within the party without any internal elections. I saw how things were going, and it was clear to me that Bawumia would ultimately win, and the person I had in mind to complement him was Alan Kyerematen,” he said in an interview on Neat FM on August 15, 2024.

He continued, "I never dreamt of Alan leaving the party. I wanted them [Bawumia and Kyerematen] to move forward together for the unity of the NPP," he added.

Meanwhile, Kyerematen’s departure from the NPP has left many within the party surprised.

He has formed a Movement for Change to contest the 2024 elections as an independent candidate.

Following his exit, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has been appointed as the running mate for Bawumia, as the NPP prepares for the upcoming general elections.