Alan Kyerematen Sets Condition for NPP Return: “Make Me Flagbearer or Forget It”

The political temperature in Ghana rose sharply this week after Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, leader of the United Party (UP), declared that he would only consider returning to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under one specific condition: he must be invited to lead the party as its presidential candidate for the 2028 elections .

The statement, made during an interview with DW Africa, has sparked intense debate across the political spectrum. For a man who left the NPP in 2023 citing unfair treatment, the condition is both a bold assertion of his continued relevance and a direct challenge to the party’s current leadership structure .

Kyerematen was unambiguous when asked whether he would accept an invitation to return. “Yes, if as a flagbearer, okay, I’m controlling the party, then I know it is the only way that they can win power,” he said .

The former Trade Minister did not stop at the leadership demand. He argued that the NPP’s only path to victory in 2028 lies in embracing the political principles and values he has championed through the United Party. “I have made a public declaration that I’m so committed to the values of the United Party. In fact, that is the only way they can win the 2028 general election,” he stated .

His remarks carry weight precisely because of his history. Kyerematen was a founding member of the NPP and served as Minister of Trade and Industry under the Akufo-Addo administration. His departure in September 2023 followed his withdrawal from the party’s presidential primary, citing concerns about the conduct of the special delegates’ conference and the treatment of his supporters . He subsequently contested the 2024 elections as an independent candidate under the Movement for Change before establishing the United Party .

The reaction from within Kyerematen’s own camp was almost immediate—and it was not one of endorsement.

Hopeson Adorye, Director of Field Operations for the United Party, publicly dismissed the reports as baseless. Speaking on Radio Tamale’s Ashahara Nye Dini programme, Adorye insisted that Kyerematen had never made such a statement and that the reports were either intended to tarnish his image or to create an opportunity for criticism .

“Alan has never said anywhere. There is no audio, there is no video, and there is no write-up from him stating that he will only come to the NPP if they make him a flagbearer,” Adorye said. He went further, declaring flatly: “Alan will never join NPP, not today and not tomorrow” .

The contradiction raises an uncomfortable question. Was Kyerematen’s DW Africa interview a genuine opening, or was it a strategic trial balloon that his own team quickly moved to deflate? Either way, the episode has exposed a fault line between the United Party’s public positioning and its founder’s private calculations.

The timing of the controversy is significant. The NPP, still recalibrating after its 2024 loss, has been engaged in internal discussions about reconciliation and broadening its base. In May 2026, Nana Akomea, Head of the NPP Communications Committee, publicly argued that the party should reach out to estranged members like Kyerematen. “If you want to win NDC members to your side, how about your own member who, because of some events in the past, has stepped out?” Akomea said on JoyNews’ PM Express .

That sentiment suggests that some within the NPP see value in a reunion. But Kyerematen’s condition—handing him the flagbearer position and control of the party—is a demand that few sitting NPP leaders are likely to entertain. It would require the party to sideline its current aspirants and effectively admit that its path to power runs through a man it once let walk away.

From Kyerematen’s perspective, the calculation is equally complex. He has spent the past three years building an alternative political brand, positioning the United Party as a centrist force distinct from both the NPP and the NDC . Returning to the NPP would mean abandoning that project—but only if the prize were large enough.

Beyond the headlines and the denials, the episode reveals something about the state of Ghana’s political opposition. The NPP, wounded by its 2024 defeat, is searching for a winning formula. Kyerematen, still nursing the grievances that drove him out, is testing whether his old party is desperate enough to meet his terms.

For now, no formal invitation has been extended. No negotiations have been confirmed. What remains is a public statement, a swift denial, and a political question that will linger: Does Alan Kyerematen still believe he can win power—and does the NPP believe it can win without him?

The answer, for now, appears to be that neither side is willing to blink first.

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