NAPO is not arrogant, Bawumia's choice can't be wrong - Kofi Bentil

Kofi Bentil, the Senior Vice President of IMANI-Africa, has dismissed the common accusation that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as 'Napo' who was recently endorsed as Dr. Bawumia's running mate for the 2024 election, is arrogant.

Bentil dismissed this characterization, asserting that Napo's demeanor reflects assertiveness rather than arrogance.

He explained that Ghanaians' understanding of arrogance diverges from its strict dictionary definition. In Ghana, arrogance is synonymous with being "too known" or overly familiar.

"Then, you have what is being said everywhere that Napo is arrogant. I think that is not so much a negative. If you have a person like Napo who has been in the limelight and in the politics of Bantama and NPP being at the forefront for decades, being in some of the most controversial ministries and when he is elevated to the highest political position he has ever occupied, all people can say is that he is arrogant.

"...In Ghana, arrogant is a term of art. It does not mean what it means in the dictionary. In Ghana, arrogant also means too known," he explained.

Moreover, Bentil critiques those who oppose Dr. Opoku Prempeh's appointment while simultaneously offering advice to Dr. Bawumia.

He highlights the irony in their stance, suggesting that such critics are attempting to dictate political strategy without fully understanding the complexities involved.

"The choice is for Dr. Bawumia. So it can’t be wrong. If it is his choice and whether we like the choice or not is also irrelevant. The issue there is whether, in the scheme of things, it is the right one. Politics is strategy and calculation.

"So it is not about whether he likes him or not. It is about whether in the calculation to achieve his goal, I think he hit it spot on. Everybody can talk, and have you ever come across a choice like this and people didn’t have anything to say about it," Bentil said.

"So everybody can talk, and the irony is that the people who are campaigning against are the ones trying to advise him. As in, they are saying, this man is not good for you. So you should have picked the other person. If you pick this man, then you are going to lose. So pick the other person so you can win against us," he stated on JoyNews' Newsfile on July 7, 2024.

NAY/MA