NAPO heading to Nkrumah’s hometown with apology

..Ellembelle DCE announces meeting with family

The District Chief Executive and New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Ellembelle Constituency, Kwasi Bonzo, has announced that the running mate of the governing party, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias “Napo”, will visit Nzema land to once again render an unqualified apology to the people over his unsavory comment about their late kinsman and first president of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The chiefs and people of Nkroful in the Western Region, had demanded that, the NPP’s running mate, comes to them and apologize to the traditional leaders and the family of Ghana’s first president, Dr Nkrumah, whose government, the Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahumudu Bawumia’s father served as a minister.

Mr Bonzo, mentioned that despite Dr Opoku Prempeh’s apology on Friday, but the family of Dr Nkrumah, remains displeased.

 However, to address this, he has spoken to Dr Opoku Prempeh, to personally meet with the chiefs and Dr Nkrumah’s family to offer an apology.

 Speaking to Happy Kasiebo, Mr Bonzo noted that as a royal, Dr Opoku Prempeh, understands the importance of this gesture and has agreed to the meeting.

He emphasized that, the NPP aims to win the upcoming election and does not want any grievances to affect their chances. This visit is seen as an effort to mend relations, following recent controversies.

Nzema chiefs, had criticized Dr. Opoku Prempeh for comments made during his unveiling as NPP’s running mate, where he claimed President Akufo-Addo, had outperformed all previous presidents, including Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in development.

He said, he knows very soon Dr Opoku Prempeh, will be vice president of the country and wants the people of Ellembelle to have a very good relationship with him, so they don’t look into the past, but into the future so that they can work with him to bring development to the district.

He added that, the meeting will be scheduled soon, with discussions ongoing to find a convenient date for all parties involved.

The chiefs and people of Nkroful, had said that Napo’s comments at Kumasi, was an affront to Ghana’s democracy which has the potential to derail the peace and unity of the country and describe his apology as hollow.

Dr Prempeh, sparked outrage and public disaffection after suggesting that not even Ghana’s first President, Dr Nkrumah, achieved anything closer to what President Akufo Addo, has done.

Following intense public backlash, he issued a statement last Friday to apologize, but this seems not enough to placate some group of people.

A group, the concerned youth of the Western Region on Friday, July 12, called for a proper apology from him, whilst urging the traditional leaders of the land to add their voices and also ban him from their palaces in the interim.

The latest call is from the Chiefs and people of Nkroful, who say his comments on July 9, sought to undermine, denigrate and humiliate their icon, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Addressing the media on Sunday July 14, at Nkroful in the Ellembele District, the Chief of Nkroful, Nana Kwasi Kutuah the fifth, demanded that Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh goes to Nzema to meet Nananom and the family of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to render an unreserved apology to the kinsmen of the late president. 

“We think that Dr Prempeh was not forthright with Ghanaians when he alluded to the fact that he didn’t mean to insult Dr Kwame Nkrumah. We have also learned that he has apologized to the good people of Ghana, and you know past presidents of Ghana. We want to demand that Dr Prempeh, running mate of NPP should come to Nkroful to come and meet nananom and the family of Kwame Nkrumah and make a formal apology to us”.

He has also cautioned political actors and their followers to foster unity, peace and development.

Their demand got to the District Chief Executive and NPP Parliamentary candidate for Ellembelle Constituency, Kwasi Bonzo, who says plans are far advanced for Dr Matthew Prempeh, to meet the traditional authorities in Nzema land to apologize, particularly the Chiefs and People of Nkroful.

Kwasi Bonzo was quoted as saying “I have spoken to him personally in my capacity as Ellembele DCE and he has assured me that even after his national apology, all politics is local. He says he’s coming home, Kwame Nkrumah’s hometown to meet the chiefs and the elders in the shortest possible time to render an unqualified apology, so that we can all move on us a people. So, we are working on fixing the date for him to render the apology. It had been agreed even before this press conference”.

The announcement that the Napo will be visiting the hometown of the Dr. Nkrumah comes as a retired senior military officer, Col Festus Boahen Aboagye (Rtd), has waded into his comparison of President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah describing it as “illogical, ill-advised and misguided”.

“Nkrumah’s enduring legacies continue to shape Ghana’s trajectory and resonate globally in a way that Akufo-Addo’s do not. Nkrumah remains an unparalleled figure in Ghana’s history”, said the revered security analyst.

In an opinion piece he copied The Herald over the weekend, the former Army officer, critically examined the assertion by ex-Energy Minister, that no president, including Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has developed Ghana like President Akufo-Addo since 2017.

Col Aboagye in the piece, profiled the stature and significance of Nkrumah and Akufo-Addo on the international and domestic stages, arguing that Nkrumah’s vision, leadership and impact remain unmatched in Ghana’s history.

“On the international stage, Nkrumah is celebrated as a pioneering Pan-Africanist who inspired independence movements across Africa, adding “Domestically, he led an ambitious industrialisation and modernisation agenda in post-independence Ghana”.

“In contrast, while Akufo-Addo has achieved some successes, especially in education, his overall impact and pan-African credentials do not rival Nkrumah’s transformative leadership. Ghana’s rising debt levels under Akufo-Addo are also noted.

The piece concludes that comparing Akufo-Addo’s achievements to Nkrumah’s is illogical, ill-advised, and misguided explaining that “Nkrumah’s enduring legacies continue to shape Ghana’s trajectory and resonate globally in a way that Akufo-Addo’s do not. Nkrumah remains an unparalleled figure in Ghana’s history”.

He pointed out that “while both leaders have made significant contributions, Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision, leadership, and impact, globally and nationally, remain unmatched in Ghana’s history.

“In reality, Nkrumah’s legacy extends beyond Ghana. He inspired independence movements across Africa and symbolised Pan-Africanism and progress.

“The same cannot be said of Akufo-Addo. Any attempt to compare him with Nana Akufo-Addo was illogical, ill-advised, and misguided. Between the two of them, Nkrumah’s legacies continue to shape Ghana’s trajectory and resonate globally”.

His piece was titled “The Stature and Significance of Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah “Kwame Nkrumah: African Visionary and Independence Leader”.

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