You're not a model for temperate language - NAPO's aide hits back at Mahama

Fiifi Boafo, aide to the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has said that the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has no moral right to advocate for the use of temperate language during campaigns.

According to him, John Mahama cannot be a model for the use of temperate language.

Fiifi Boafo's comment comes after ex-president John Mahama expressed concern about some remarks made by Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh about some of Ghana's former heads of state.

On July 9, 2024, during his unveiling as the running mate to the NPP flagbearer, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Prempeh elevated President Akufo-Addo above Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in terms of developmental achievements.

He claimed that no president, including Dr. Nkrumah, has developed the nation as much as President Akufo-Addo.

How he referred to Dr. Nkrumah was particularly deemed by many to be disrespectful and condescending, forcing him to apologize subsequently.

However, after a month of these comments circulating, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has criticized Dr. Prempeh, accusing him of arrogance.

Speaking at a community engagement in the Adaklu Constituency of the Volta Region on Thursday, August 15, 2024, John Mahama condemned Dr. Prempeh's remarks as uncalled for and disrespectful to the late president.

“He can't hide his arrogance. I was just watching a video yesterday, and he was talking about the past president. He said Rawlings, and he said Kufuor, and somehow, he even forgot Professor Mills's name, and then he said, ‘That one who died.’ I mean, how can you talk about this? Very disrespectful, very insulting. Arrogance is like pregnancy. Whatever you do, it will come out,” he said.

Reacting to John Mahama's comment in an interview on Joy FM monitored by GhanaWeb, Fiifi Boafo said the former president, who is himself guilty of using intemperate language, cannot call for the use of temperate language.

"Certainly, Mahama is not the model for temperate language. Is it the same John Mahama who referred to Akyems as Akyem Sakawa boys? Is it the same Mahama who referred to Martin Amidu, his senior, as stupid? Is it the same John Mahama who called people baloney? He is not a model for temperate language. As humans, there may be times you will get something wrong. It is for you to do an assessment and realize that what you did is either right or wrong, and you correct your ways," Fiifi Boafo said.

He added, "Dr. Prempeh said something about our first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He realized that what he said did not go down well. He issued a statement, and beyond that, the chiefs of Nkroful came out to say that they would wish that he came over and apologized in person. He went to Nkroful and apologized. He said he did not mean what he said. That is someone who admits that he is human, and when he gets something wrong, he will apologize. Not the person who, when he gets something wrong, will say the people asking questions about what he has said probably their level of education is not the standard of him to appreciate what he is saying. So, certainly if you are talking about someone who shows respect, someone who is not arrogant, obviously the model is not John Mahama."

KA/Ek