Focus on Bawumia, leave NAPO alone

…Mahama told

Fiifi Boafo, a spokesperson for Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has questioned the decision of John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to focus his attention on the ex-Energy Minister, nicknamed “NAPO”.

According to Mr Boafo, the former President, should rather focus his attention on the NPP flagbearer, who is his direct competitor in the December 7, general election. 

Mr Mahama on Thursday, August 15, 2024, chastised Dr Opoku Prempeh, describing him as arrogant. 

This was after Dr Opoku Prempeh, in a video, referred to the late President Mills as “the one who died,” seemingly forgetting his name. 

The former president, had a day earlier stated that the former education minister, had questions to answer about the management of funds from the Daakye Bond.

But responding to allegations made against Dr Opoku Prempeh, in an interview with Joy FM monitored on Thursday, August 15, 2024, Fiifi Boafo, stated that the sudden focus on the NPP running mate is surprising to him.

“It is interesting to realise that the former president, who’s a presidential candidate, is rather spending time talking about the running mate instead of talking about the flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

“DrDr Mahama Bawumia has been vice president, and John Mahama has also been vice president. Their records are available for all of us to assess. John Mahama has been president of this country; his performance as president is there for all of us to assess. Dr. Bawumia is yet to get the opportunity to be president. But he has demonstrated what he can do as vice president, waiting for the opportunity to be president. So if you are now moving and your attention is on the running, it is interesting,” Fiifi Boafo said.

Ghana will go to the polls on December 7, 2024, to elect a president and parliamentarians in what is expected to be a highly competitive election.

The flagbearer of the NDC, had slammed NAPO, over his recent comments on Ghana’s past presidents.

Mahama, indicated that NAPO’s reference to Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as ‘your Kwame Nkrumah’, was disrespectful and showed how arrogant he is.

He added that what is even more worrying is that the NPP running mate, passed the derogatory comments about Dr Kwame Nkrumah a few hours after he had been warned by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, not to prove assertions that he (NAPO) is rude.

“The running mate for NPP when they went and introduced him to Otumfuo; Otumfuo said we brought you up because you are part of the Manhyia Palace and we know we brought you up well. But we hear you are arrogant. We hope that you prove people wrong.

“As soon as he left there, not up to 3 hours, he went and said, ‘Mo Kwame Nkrumah nu’ – that your Kwame Nkrumah. That is a very disrespectful thing to say about the founder of this nation and especially a founder who is no longer alive. You can insult me because I can respond because I’m alive. But in our tradition, you don’t say evil things about the dead. You don’t disrespect the dead because they are not alive to respond to you,” he said at a campaign event in the Volta Region on Wednesday, August 15, 2024.

He added, “In the past, ghosts were powerful as he said that Nkrumah’s ghosts would have knocked him down. But now the ghosts have all become disarmed.”

The NDC flagbearer, appeared to have been infuriated by a recent video of NAPO, supposedly referring to the late Prof John Evans Atta Mills as the president who died.

“He can’t hide the arrogance. I was just watching a video yesterday and he was talking about the past presidents. He said Rawlings and he said Kufuor. And somehow, he even forgot Professor Mills’ name and then he said ‘ba ku naa we wu no’ – That one who died. I mean, how can you talk like this? Very disrespectful, very insulting. ‘Ba ku naa we wu no’ – the one who is dead. Arrogance is like pregnancy. Whatever you do, it will come out.”

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