Chairmanship aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Crabbe, has clarified that his decision to align with fellow aspirant John Boadu ahead of the party’s national executive elections was not a withdrawal from the race.

Speaking to JoyNews at the party’s National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, Mr Crabbe said the arrangement was the result of discussions with Mr Boadu as well as consultations with his team and supporters.

He said the decision was taken after considering how their respective programmes and experience in party management could be brought together.

“That’s all it is. Yeah, exactly that. Nothing more,” he said when asked whether there were external considerations or influences behind the alliance.

Mr Crabbe explained that although the decision was reached on the morning of the congress, discussions had started earlier and he had to consult his supporters before formalising the arrangement.

• Read also: Sammy Crabbe steps down from NPP Chairmanship race, backs John Boadu

“It happened this morning, but it didn’t start this morning. I had to also sit down with my team and supporters because you want to bring people along. It’s important that you explain to them what you are thinking, what is happening,” he said.

He said the consultations were followed by discussions on how to properly communicate the arrangement after an earlier impression emerged that he had simply withdrawn from the chairmanship contest.

Mr Crabbe said that was not the case, stressing that he was “stepping up into an alliance.”

“We also sat down and come up, design a joint statement that actually corrected an earlier impression that I had just stepped down or whatever. No. I was stepping up into an alliance,” he said.

The clarification follows a post by Mr Boadu on X, formerly Twitter, which indicated that Mr Crabbe had stepped down from the race and endorsed him.

Mr Crabbe’s subsequent signed statement described the arrangement as an alliance aimed at promoting unity of purpose within the NPP.

Under the arrangement, he urged his supporters to vote for Mr Boadu, while pledging to work alongside him to implement their programmes.

The NPP is holding its National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, where delegates are voting to elect nine national executive officers.

A total of 7,163 delegates are expected to participate in the elections across 31 polling stations.