Were you expecting NAPO to extol Nkrumah or Rawlings? – NPP's Ellen Ama Daaku defends running mate

Ellen Ama Daaku, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, has questioned the basis of the criticism directed at the party's running mate, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

This follows his assertion that President Nana Akufo-Addo has contributed more to Ghana's development than any of his predecessors, including Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Speaking on the Wednesday, July 10, 2024, edition of GTV's Breakfast Show, Ama Daaku argued that the context of the claim made by Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, justified it.

"It depends on the situation; he is speaking to his people; he is speaking to the NPP. We are looking at moving into an election; he was on a platform. Were you expecting him to go and extol the virtues of Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry Rawlings, or John Mahama?" she questioned.

She added that while others may believe in Nkrumah's superiority over other Ghanaian presidents, the NPP, as a party, does not see him in that regard.

"He doesn't think that way, and I don't think that way. I think Kwame Nkrumah was a president of Ghana; he led us to independence, but definitely, he has his issues. So, you don't want us to discuss it? You want everybody to hero-worship Kwame Nkrumah?

"When it's Kwame Nkrumah's birthday, when it's Independence Day, we have discussions on his legacy and what he has done. You agree with what he has done; I agree with what I have done. The NPP, by ideology, by everything, is not in the same lane with Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP values.

"So, if an NPP running mate says that the president—let's remember that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the president who has given NAPO the leeway to do everything—he practically made him; gave him an opportunity to serve in his government in two very important positions as Minister of Education, where he implemented his flagship program, and then moved him to the Ministry of Energy. And for me, and a lot of Ghanaians, NAPO has done exceptionally well.

"So, if he is standing on the platform of the NPP on his unveiling as the running mate, are you expecting him to go and hero-worship Kwame Nkrumah?" she questioned.

Background

The energy minister has come under intense criticism after he was accused of disrespecting Dr. Kwame Nkrumah at his unveiling as the running mate of NPP flagbearer, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

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.

"Were you expecting him to go and extol the virtues of Kwame Nkrumah or the virtues of Jerry Rawlings or the virtues of @JDMahama ?" - Ellen Ama Daaku#GTVBreakfast pic.twitter.com/Mx9LiUGcQw

— GTV Ghana (@GTV_Ghana) July 10, 2024