Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the 2024 running mate to the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has drawn a comparison between Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong; and Italy's former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.
Speaking in an interview on Ahwenepa FM on August 15, 2024, during a campaign tour in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Prempeh highlighted Kennedy Agyapong's influence within Ghana's media landscape and equated it to Berlusconi's rise to prominence in Italy.
He noted that just as Berlusconi leveraged his ownership of radio stations and football clubs to become Italy's longest-serving prime minister post-war, serving over nine years, Agyapong's control over several radio stations in Ghana has made him a key figure in the country's political sphere.
“Just look at the number of radio stations that have been opened since Nana Addo became president and imagine if each of the stations employs at least two people.
“Just imagine the number. Before I went to Parliament, it was Oman FM that we had. My brother Kennedy Agyapong, when I met him at Parliament, I called him Berlusconi,” he said.
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Dr. Prempeh humorously remarked that if not for certain interventions, Kennedy Agyapong might have easily ascended to the presidency, given his media influence.
He emphasized that Agyapong's vast media empire, including stations like Ash FM, Oman FM, Spice FM, among others, have positioned him as a formidable force within the NPP and Ghana at large.
“The moment I met him, I said this man is Berlusconi, because Berlusconi was really instrumental in the development of Italy. Italy used to change their governments every three months, but he used radio stations and football (AC Milan) to dominate Italy and become Prime Minister, the longest-serving Prime Minister since the time of the Republic of Italy.
“So, when I saw this man, I said, all the radio stations that he has been opening, he is the NPP’s Berlusconi.
“And truly, truly, my elder brother Kennedy Agyapong was in line to become the president, and if we hadn’t done that, he would have been president,” he added, amidst laughter from his entourage, including Kennedy Agyapong.
Watch the interview from the 25th minute
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