Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has firmly dismissed long-standing rumours that he supported Alan Kyerematen over Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primaries in 2008.

Addressing the matter publicly, Mr. Kufuor described the claims as baseless, misleading, and unfair insisting he never endorsed Alan against Akufo-Addo nor played any role in influencing the internal contest.

“I never supported him against anybody,” he stated plainly. “I didn’t give him anything to aid him go and defeat anybody.”

He explained that despite the rumour persisting for years, there has never been any factual evidence to support it. According to him, he maintained strict neutrality in all internal leadership contests during his presidency.

Mr. Kufuor also revealed that after the NPP captured power in 2000, he actually attempted to appoint Alan Kyerematen as a Minister. However, Alan turned down the offer.

The former President’s clarification arrives at a time when internal discussions within the NPP have intensified following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections.

In a recent interview on The Delay Show, Mr. Kufuor openly criticised the Akufo-Addo administration, citing several major policy failures including the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, the PDS debacle, and the National Cathedral scandal as factors that eroded public confidence.

He noted that although the Akufo-Addo government started on a strong footing, public sentiment shifted significantly after COVID-19, with a series of controversial decisions creating discontent among voters.

Mr. Kufuor said these issues represented a sharp deviation from the goodwill the NPP enjoyed in 2016, when the party campaigned strongly on the achievements of his own administration momentum he believes laid the foundation for the party’s electoral strength at the time.