The Concerned Youth of the Western region have rejected Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s apology for his comparison of the achievements of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly called NAPO, asserted during his unveiling as the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi on Tuesday that no president, including Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has developed Ghana like President Akufo-Addo has done since 2017.
“Since independence from 1957 till today, we have not had any president that has helped Ghana like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I say from 1957 till today, you can bring your Kwame Nkrumah… no president who has protected Ghana and moved the country forward like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” NAPO said to a cheering gathering.
NAPO’s comments attracted widespread condemnation prompting him to render an official apology on July 12. At a press conference on Friday, in Takoradi, Professor Boakye Yiadom, a member of the Concerned Youth of Western Region, said NAPO’s apology has been rejected in its entirety. “The Youth of the Western region have just seen the apology from Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. By reading the apology, I realised that he indicated that it is his own opinion and that is what we the youth of the Western region reject completely.
“It is not his opinion and we must consider where he stood to make these comments and his position as the running mate for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Where he stood to say those things were not normal. The information he communicated has sunk into people’s ears and we reject this kind of apology. “This has always been in his [NAPO] DNA and his group. We will not accept that he insults us anyhow. We call on him to tone down and come and apologise unreservedly.”
