The vice presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, widely known as NAPO, appears to be still pained by an assertion of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Mahama, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said that the ghost of Mills would have slapped NAPO if ghosts existed for daring to compare him (Nkrumah) to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
At a recent campaign event, NAPO brought up the matter again, chastising Mahama for his remarks.
He told Mahama that if ghosts truly existed, he (the former president) would be in prison by now.
He said that the ghost of the former President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, would have imprisoned Mahama if ghosts existed.
“Recently, when he took the microphone rather than saying something sensible to the people of Ghana, he (Mahama) said that if Nkrumah had a ghost, it (the ghost) would give me a slap.
“I also want to tell him that if Prof. Mills’ ghost exists, he, John Mahama, would be in prison,” NAPO said.
Background:
Former President Mahama criticised NAPO, the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, over his controversial 'Your Kwame Nkrumah' comment.
According to Mahama, Ghana’s customs and traditions dictate that the dead must be respected, and speaking ill of them goes against traditional norms.
He stated that unlike someone alive who can respond to insults or allegations, the deceased have no way to defend themselves.
He added that if it were in the olden days when ghosts had powers, NAPO would have been dealt with by Nkrumah’s ghost.
“The running mate for NPP, when they went and introduced him to Otumfuo; Otumfuo said we brought you up because you are part of the Manhyia Palace and we know we brought you up well. But we hear you are arrogant. We hope that you prove people wrong.
“As soon as he left there, not up to 3 hours, he went and said, ‘Mo Kwame Nkrumah nu’ - that your Kwame Nkrumah. That is a very disrespectful thing to say about the founder of this nation and especially a founder who is no longer alive. You can insult me because I can respond because I’m alive.
“You can insult me because I can respond because I’m alive, but in our tradition, you don’t say evil things about the dead. You don’t disrespect the dead because they are not alive to respond to you. In the past, ghosts were powerful. As he said that, Nkrumah’s ghost would have knocked him down, but now the ghosts have all become disarmed,” John Dramani Mahama said at a campaign rally.
NAPO, the running mate of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, dropped a bombshell at his unveiling when he boastfully stated that not even ‘your’ Kwame Nkrumah’s government can be compared to that of Akufo-Addo.
Addressing a gathering of party bigwigs and supporters on Tuesday, June 9, 2024, for his official unveiling in Kumasi, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh emphasized that not even Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, comes close to President Akufo-Addo when it comes to spearheading development in the country’s history.
“It has never happened in the history of Ghana. If President Akufo-Addo retires, I can hit my chest and state that since the nation’s inception in 1957, there has not been a president who has helped the state more than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“I am saying that from 1957 to now, whether you pick ‘your’ Kwame Nkrumah... there is nobody who has led Ghana and protected the country or developed Ghana more than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” he stated.
Following public backlash, NAPO apologized for the statement, noting that he did not intend to denigrate Ghana’s first president.
Watch NAPO’s comments below:
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