A spokesperson of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the running mate to the New Patriotic Party’s Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has been seeking to clarify his controversial comment at his unveiling in Kumasi on Tuesday, July 9.
According to Fiifi Boafo, the statement that no president, including the revered Dr Nkrumah, has developed Ghana like President Akufo-Addo was not intended to denigrate the national hero.
Social media platforms were buzzing following Dr Prempeh’s comments comparing President Akufo-Addo’s achievements to those of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“Since independence from 1957 till today, we’ve 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 stated emphatically.
The controversial statement has sparked widespread reactions, with many Ghanaians expressing outrage and disbelief.
Critics on social media argue that Dr Nkrumah’s contributions to Ghana’s independence and infrastructure development are unparalleled, making the comparison inappropriate and disrespectful.
Speaking in Joy FM on Wednesday, the spokesperson said, “He was only making the point that if he juxtaposes the impact in terms of development he is seeing under President Akufo-Addo and what we witnessed under former President Nkrumah, he is of the considered view that President Akufo-Addo has done better.”
“That is his objective view. There are those who do not share that position, there are those who also support that position. But this is only his opinion. And in a democracy, other persons may have a different opinion to the position he has shared,” he said on the Midday News.
Meanwhile, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has condemned the statement.
Speaking to JoyNews, CPP’s Political Affairs Chairman Kwame Jantuah questioned the basis for Napo’s claim.
“Has Nana Addo been named the Millennium Gentleman of the Century? Does Nana Addo have his statue at the OAU building? Does Nana Addo have a Mausoleum that shows who he was and what he did for this country? Has Nana Addo fought for the independence of Ghana? The factories Nana Addo claims he set up, can any of them compare to Nkrumah’s factories?
“So how can you compare the two? How? From time immemorial, the loans that we took, does it amount to what Nana Addo has taken? So what was he talking about?” he quizzed.
He wondered why Napo would even consider comparing Dr Nkrumah to President Akufo-Addo in the first place.
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