There was no 'dumsor' under NAPO – Akufo-Addo claims

President Akufo Addo has insisted that the country never went through erratic power supply also known as ‘dumsor’ while Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh served as Energy Minister.

He made the assertion at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi when the party unveiled Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh affectionately called NAPO as Vice Presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Contrary to the experiences of households and businesses whose demand for a power rationing timetable was met with a retort from NAPO, the President commended him for his management of the sector.

“He managed the power sector well when I switched him from the Education Ministry to the Energy Ministry. We have not experienced any ‘dumsor’ under his leadership of that Ministry,” President Akufo Addo pointed out.

The President recounted how he appointed Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as director of elections for his campaign in 2012 and how he entrusted him with the government’s Free Senior High School Policy.

“In 2012 he was director of elections for my campaign. I saw the gold in him. When I became president, I entrusted him with implementing the FREE SHS. He has worked and delivered it diligently. Today Mahama says he rather did it.

President Akufo Addo also challenged Ghanaians to believe in his testimony about the competencies of the party’s Presidential candidate, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and his running mate Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

“I can testify to the competence of the pair. Bawumia was in the central bank working diligently. He was surprised I appointed him running mate. For all these years, I have not found anything wrong with him.

“He has walked with me cordially. He has been loyal, straight forward and an honest vice president. He never sabotaged me. I have always listened to his deep wealth of wisdom and advice”, he noted.

He took a swipe at the flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress; former president John Dramani Mahama accusing him of telling lies about commencing the Free SHS policy.

“Whenever you want to do anything, he says it is not possible. This man has always spoken ill of the FREE SHS policy; now he says he is the one who began implementing the FREE SHS.

“John Dramani Mahama talks as if we don’t know him. We have seen his handiworks before. We cannot go with this leader and that is why Ghanaians rejected him,” President Akufo Addo lashed out.

He added, “He says we do not have retentive memory. If he has now seen that the Free SHS is doable, he should rather return my stone to me.”

The President further called out his predecessor John Dramani Mahama for once upon a time asserting that the New Patriotic Party would never be led by a Northerner like Dr Bawumia.

“Mahama said a northerner will never be a leader of NPP. He told Bawumia he was being deceived. He is now ashamed. He will continue to be disgraced,” he stated.

He called on Ghanaians to come out in their numbers on December 7, to ensure that their votes counted in giving the NPP another mandate.