The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has endorsed the decision by the flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to pick Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias “NAPO” as his running mate for the upcoming elections.

His confirmation, sets the stage for his outdooring in Kumasi, Ashanti regional capital next week, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, by Dr Bawumia and the party’s national leadership.

The National Council, yesterday endorsed Bawumia’s decision after earlier meetings with the National Executive Council, and the National Steering Committee of the party.

Opoku Prempeh, is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South and a former Education Minister. He was one time a presidential staffer under John Agyekuma Kufuor’s presidency.

His selection is seen as a strategic move by Bawumia, to consolidate support within the party and across the country, especially in the Ashanti region.

 Both ex-President Kufuor and Asanntehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, gave their backing for his nominiation.

Born on May 23, 1968, in Ashanti New Town, a suburb of Kumasi, NAPO, hails from Pakyi No. 2 in the Ashanti Region.

He started his basic education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Primary and continued to Prempeh College in Kumasi for his middle school education. He studied Human Biology and Medicine at KNUST and completed his MB CHB in 1994.

He continued with post-graduate studies in MSc. Clinical Epidemiology at the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences in 1998 and at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he studied Leadership and Government (certificate course). In 2002, he pursued postgraduate training in surgery in the UK (MRCS).

Prior to entering parliament, NAPO served as CEO of Keyedmap Security Services Limited from 2004 to 2009. He is also a medical doctor and served as a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2003.

The NPP’s General Secretary, Justin  Kodua Frimpong, yesterday announced that “the National Council of the NPP, which is the second highest decision-making body of the party met today, July 4, 2024, to consider the nomination of  Hon.  Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh by  H.E.  Dr  Mahamudu Bawumia, the party’s Presidential  Candidate,  as  his Running Mate for the 2024 general elections”.

He said, the meeting, considered the  said  nomination  which  forms  part  of  the  constitutionally mandated processes for selecting the party’s Running Mate as per Article 13(3)(1) of the NPP Constitution.  

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Article 13(3)(1) of the Constitution provides as follows: The  Party’s  Presidential  Candidate  shall,  in  consultation  with  the  National  Council, nominate the Vice-Presidential Candidate”.  

“I am happy to report that after the necessary consideration, the National Council of the party unanimously endorsed the Presidential Candidate’s nomination of Hon. Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and Energy Minister, as his Vice-Presidential Candidate pursuant to Article 13(3) of the Party Constitution.  

“This significant milestone marks the completion of the presidential ticket of the NPP for the 2024 general elections, and therefore, sets the stage for the party to fully engage the Ghanaian electorates comprehensively with our message of transformation.  

“I  wish  to,  at  this  juncture,  say  something  little  about  our  vice-presidential  candidate, focusing primarily on what he brings to the NPP presidential ticket since he is not a stranger to the body politics of our country. “Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is a 56-year-old medical doctor, a devoted Christian, and a consummate politician.  

“He is a product of Prempeh College and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, both in Kumasi, as well as the Erasmus University in The Netherlands. It was at KNUST that he made his first appearance as a leader, after he won the position as the local National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) President, a position he held from 1991 to 1992.  

“After working with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom for some time, he returned to Ghana in 2005 to pursue a career in business and more importantly in politics. He successfully became the Member of Parliament for Manhyia in 2009. Ahead of the 2012 elections, the constituency was divided into two, and in those elections, he won the newly-created Manhyia South constituency, which he retained in 2016 and 2020.  

“Owing to his passion for education, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed him as Minister of Education during his first term. As Education Minister, Napo, as he is affectionately called,  spearheaded the  implementation  of  the  famous  Free  Senior  High School policy,  Under  Dr.  Prempeh,  the  successful implementation  of  the  government’s flagship Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy saw the country’s SHS population leap from 800,000 in 2016 to 1.2 million by January 2021.  

“It is instructive to note that Napo ensured that this policy was rolled out within the first year of the Akufo-Addo government when he  was appointed  as  Education Minister. He didn’t ask for honeymoon. I repeat, he didn’t ask for honeymoon. It will be recalled that at the time he  announced  that he was  going  ahead to  implement the  policy, many people, including some from civil society organizations (CSOs) and some senior members of the government thought it was too early to implement such bold and far-reaching policy.

“But, typical of Napo, would have none of that. He showed boldness and decisiveness when it  mattered  most,  and  went  on  with  the  policy,  which  is  by  far,  the  biggest  social intervention  in  the  nation’s  education  sector  since  Independence.  Today, posterity has vindicated him. Ghana certainly needs leaders who are bold and decisive, because that is the only way we can achieve results.  

“It is also worthy to note that throughout his 4-year tenure as Minister for Education, there was significant industrial harmony and stability in the education front. He ensured that the concerns of teachers and other players in the education sector were adequately attended to. This therefore confirms that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has an incredible interpersonal and negotiation skills.  He is arguably the only Minister of Education in this Fourth Republic to have achieved this feat.  

Having delivered at  the Ministry  for Education,  the President  appointed him during  his second  term  to  head  the  Ministry  of  Energy,  where  he  again,  demonstrated  his  stellar leadership qualities. He worked very hard to KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, even during the times  of  unprecedented  global economic  crisis when  every  sector  of  the  economy  was virtually in “darkness”, gasping for breath.  

“We, however, concede that in the last couple of weeks and months, some parts of the country did face some power challenges. But, the good news is that, unlike in the past particularly under H.E John Dramani Mahama, where we slept in darkness for over four(4) years, Dr. Prempeh ensured that the recent power challenges we experienced did not last beyond three (3) months. He is indeed results-oriented, and there is absolutely no debate about that.  

“In  recognition  of  his  leadership  skills,  his  contribution towards  education  in  Ghana, particularly in respect of his role in the implementation of the government’s flagship Free SHS programme and other transformational policies in education, Dr. Prempeh has been honoured by the University of Education Winneba, the University of Cape Coast and the University of  Professional  Studies, Accra with the conferment on him with honourary doctorate degrees. 

“In July 2021, he was invited to join the Mission 4.7 High-Level Advisory Group, a joint initiative of UNESCO, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Ban Ki-Moon Center for Global Citizens, and the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at Columbia University. 

“In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, if you were to ask me what Dr. Matthew Prempeh brings to the NPP presidential ticket, I will tell you he brings decades of political astuteness, trustworthy leadership,  confidence,  decisiveness,  grassroots mobilization,  charisma, patriotism, and demonstrable incorruptibility.  

“Again, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh shares Dr. Bawumia’s vision of bold solutions for our country that are responsive to the needs, opportunities, and challenges of the 21st century. In this respect, he complements our flagbearer in many significant ways and the two enjoy a warm, personal relationship anchored on deep mutual respect. 

“More importantly, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has a great working relationship with our Presidential Candidate, H.E Alhaji Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia. The synergy between these two great leaders on our presidential ticket, coupled with their proven track-record and transformational campaign message would help the New Patriotic Party to secure a resounding third consecutive electoral victory on the 7th of December 2024, by the grace of God.

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