When pride, ego, money, joy, and alcohol combine in one person, some things said the night before may not make sense the next day. You might even find yourself asking, “Did I really say that?”
This is exactly what happened to the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as Napo.
He recently made headlines for claiming that President Akufo-Addo has outperformed all of Ghana’s presidents since independence, including Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Although Napo has since apologized, it seems to me that the apology was more directed toward his own party member, John Agyekum Kufuor, whom he also implied was outperformed by Akufo-Addo.
“Since Independence in 1957, no government has performed as well as Akufo-Addo’s. You can even take your Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.
It’s surprising that Napo would forget about John Agyekum Kufuor. What joy or influence led him to make such a statement? Some speculate he must have been under the influence of something strong, like Apketeshie.
Describing Kwame Nkrumah as “your Kwame Nkrumah” is insulting to Ghanaians and highlights the arrogance some attribute to Napo.
His own father, the Asantehene, advised him to avoid such arrogance. The visit to the Otumfuo’s palace was meant to cleanse him of his negative reputation, but it appears Napo quickly returned to his old ways by disrespecting both Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and John Agyekum Kufuor.
In my opinion, Napo’s apology was likely influenced by pressure from powerful figures, including Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who would not tolerate Napo disrespecting Kufuor.
To conclude, Napo is a youth and closely connected to the Trades Minister, K.T. Hammond. So when K.T Hammond said that Ghanaian youth are empty-headed, was he referring to people like Matthew Opoku Prempeh?
God bless our homeland Ghana!
Opinion of: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites✍️) / Ahotoronline.com
