President John Evans Atta Mills has strongly denied reports that he has endorsed Mr. Alan John Kyerematen one of the presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). According to him, it is unfortunate that his positive comment about a political opponent is being interpreted to mean an endorsement. “I have not endorsed Alan anywhere. I only said that I know him to be a political gentleman. I have never endorsed him,” he said. Speaking to The Chronicle in reaction to the story yesterday, President Mills said he made the statement in jest, which should not be seriously interpreted to mean that he was dabbling in the internal affairs of the NPP, to the extent of endorsing one of their aspiring presidential candidates. Leading members of the NPP have publicly criticized the President after he described Alan Kyerematen as a political gentleman, at a function organised to mark the centenary celebrations of Adisadel College last Saturday in Cape Coast. Ms. Ursulla Owusu, a member of Nana Akufoo Addo campaign team, Hon. I.C. Quaye, NPP MP for Ayawaso Central. Northern Regional vice chairman of the NPP, are among those who have been vocal against what they perceived to be the President trying to meddle in the internal politics of the NPP by his alleged endorsement of Alan. It would be recalled that President Mills described Alan as a political gentleman when he jokingly said "I have known Alan as a gentleman for quite a long time, and I will like to know what he did when he was a student here, so that I can use it against him during campaign time, since he is my opponent”. The Communications Director at the presidency, Mr. Koku Anyidoho in his contribution on Metro TV yesterday, said President Mills was making a fan- and a true comment of the aspirant, which did not amount to an endorsement. According to him, it was simply said in humour when the President sighted Alan, an oId boy of Adisadel College" who was also present at the same function. He noted that it was not in the interest of President Mills to delve in the internal affairs of the NPP. He said the attacks on the President was unjustified, and cited the defence the then candidate Mills put up for Nana Addo when a story was put out that the 2008 flagbearer of NPP was not a qualified lawyer. Why don't people say that he endorsed Akufo-Addo at the time? Prof. Mills stated the fact, and in this case he is also saying what he knows about Alan. He has not endorsed Alan. He only stated a fact that Alan is a political gentleman," he said. Source: The Chronicle