A New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North has asserted that his colleague MP for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), who has reportedly been chosen by the flagbearer of the party as running mate, is the wrong choice.
According to Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, NAPO, in his view, cannot deliver the necessary votes the party needs to win the 2024 general elections.
The MP, who made this assertion in an interview on JoyNews on Thursday, June 27, 2024, further indicated that his preferred candidate would be someone who can stand in for the party’s flagbearer, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to campaign with MPs, and NAPO is not that person.
“Well, I wouldn’t speak for the majority because we have not been consulted as a caucus for us to state our position. But me, Appiah-Kubi, you can solicit my view on that. If it were up to me to choose, I wouldn’t choose him.
“It’s not my preference. Appiah-Kubi is saying that he is not my preference. But that doesn’t mean that he is not qualified. If there was an opportunity like that, I would express a candidate, however acceptable otherwise, to our presidential candidate. I would want someone who will be open with the people on the ground, who will be able to deliver the votes, and who would also submit to the presidency, and who will also be important in bringing parliament closer to the executive.
He said, “I would probably select someone who is more acceptable to the generals going to war, the parliamentarians. We should find someone who, if the presidential candidate is not there, will hold the hand of a member of parliament and go and conduct a campaign in that member of parliament’s constituency. I don’t see that happening in this equation. He cannot hold my hand. So why would I say that I prefer him? He cannot hold my hand.”
About NAPO’s nomination
According to a report from myjoyonline.com, the NPP flagbearer presented NAPO as his running mate during a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
JoyNews’ Presidential Affairs correspondent, Elton Brobbey, stated that after the vice president presented his choice of running mate to President Akufo-Addo, the president offered advice and shared his thoughts before ultimately accepting Dr. Bawumia’s choice.
“He was first elected to Parliament on June 1, 2008, and successfully re-elected in 2012, 2016, and 2020. He has served on the Health, Appointment, and Defence and Interior Committees of Parliament.
“In 2017, President Akufo-Addo appointed him as Education Minister, and he currently holds the position of Energy Minister. His name is Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as NAPO,” the journalist reported.
