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A New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has debunked speculations that the newly elected General Secretary and the National Chairman of the party will influence his flag-bearer ambition for Election 2016. Mr Kyerematen said he firmly believed that although Kwabena Agyepong and Paul Afoko were his close allies, they would not substitute the interest of the party for their personal agenda. "If you know both of them, the last thing they will do is that. They are principled; they are looking for the interest of the party and not their individual interests," he said. Mr Agyepong was Mr Kyerematen's campaign manager ahead of the 2012 NPP presidential primary. Mr Afoko is Mr Kyerematen's close associate and was also closely involved in the latter�s campaign to become the presidential candidate of the NPP in 2007. Their victory has sparked speculations that Mr Kyerematen will be favoured to win the NPP�s presidential primary for the 2016 elections. But Mr Kyerematen, a former Trade Minister and former Ambassador to the United States, said on Good Evening Ghana, a news analysis programme, that although it was easy for such speculations to be flying about due to his closeness to the two key party executive members, that assumption must be shelved. "Everybody knows how I do my politics. I don't need anybody to convince people about who I am and what I can do for our party and for this country," he said.