The Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness’s Executive Director has criticized New Patriotic Party’s running mate’s claim that President Akufo-Addo’s performance is superior to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s, stating it was merely a political opinion.
Michael Donyina Mensah, however, noted that although he (Opoku Prempeh) expressed his opinion, it was a false claim since the record of President Akufo-Addo cannot be superior to that of Kwame Nkrumah.
On July 8, 2024, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh delivered his first public statement during his ceremonial outdooring ceremony in Kumasi, stating that since Ghana’s establishment in 1957, no president has made more outstanding development than President Akufo-Addo.
The former Energy Minister, who was appointed during Akufo-Addo’s first tenure as Education Minister, stated that not even Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s record can compare to that of Akufo-Addo.
But reacting to this in an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Michael Donyina Mensah described NAPO as being affectionately called an immature politician.
“The comments he made were a sign of immaturity. I can state without any fear of contradiction that, from my personal point of view, NAPO is politically immature. The comments were unfortunate. Even President Akufo-Addo campaigned on the track record of former President John Agyekum Kufour when he contested the elections before he won. He campaigned strongly on the record of Kufour. We have to always give respect to our predecessors.
If Ghanaians do not appreciate and value Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the world will recognise his efforts. He was voted the man of the millennium. They assessed the past thousand years and wanted a man for a leader who had championed good leadership, and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was chosen. NAPO goofed. The other unfortunate issue is that he has reiterated his claim. He clearly lied through his comments. The politics he is part of and the party he represents have used lies in campaigning. Some of the issues and things politicians say are false. We have opinions that those who present them claim to be the truth but are false. It is his right to say that, but the words he used and the body language were problematic. We are not gagging him, but we want him to be mindful of his uterances.”
When asked how the NPP should manage NAPO, he said, “They should use the same approach as President Akufo-Addo to manage NAPO. Akufo-Addo has challenges with how he communicates. NAPO is emotional, speaks from the heart, and is likely to be good all the time, so as much as possible, they should write his speeches for him so he will be guided, or else we will witness worse forms of comments from him.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
