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The Member of Parliament for the opposition National Democratic Congress for Cape Coast South, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has mounted a spirited defense for Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, whom some have described as arrogant.
In a panel discussion on JoyNews’ flagship program, Newsfile, on Saturday, 6th July 2024, the NDC MP said that sentiments that NAPO, as Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is popularly called, is arrogant are not accurate. He said that if one gets to know NAPO well, the person will come to appreciate that he is a fantastic person.
“Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is a fantastic person if you get to know him well. He is very assertive and can be bold at times, but that should not be considered an attribute of arrogance in the real sense of the word. He is very fantastic, if you ask me,” the MP stated.
He also indicated that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is an intellectual who engages in intellectual arguments, which, he posited, should never be understood as arrogance. “Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is all about intellectual debates,” he stated.
Sampson Lardy, the host of the program, also had this to say about Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh: “Matthew Opoku Prempeh has strong views to express on topics tabled for discussion. He makes his points strongly and ensures he sends them across no matter what. That can’t be described as arrogance in any dictionary.”
Legal practitioner Kofi Bentil, a panellist on the show, shared his view that what constitutes arrogance to some Ghanaians does not qualify as such. “In Ghana, if you are assertive, you are tagged as arrogant; if you are bold, it is considered arrogance. When you are well-organized, you are described as arrogant, etc.”
He said that although he has made certain pronouncements in the past that didn’t go down well with some people, that should not be the yardstick for the job Matthew Opoku Prempeh is expected to perform as Vice President if the NPP wins the 2024 elections.
“The argument should be, can he do the job? Does he have a track record? I would say yes because the two critical ministries entrusted to him fared very well. He implemented Free SHS successfully and handled affairs at the Energy Ministry very well. The arrogance argument doesn’t come in at all. He is results-oriented, and, to me, that’s more important,” the Vice President of IMANI Africa stated.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has concertedly approved Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the 2024 general elections.
The National Council endorsed the decision on Thursday after earlier meetings with the National Executive Council and the National Steering Committee of the party.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region and the former Education Minister, currently serving as the Energy Minister. The party highlighted that Dr. Opoku Prempeh meets all the criteria for the running mate position, which led to his unanimous approval.
