I Was Selected As Running MateBased on My Competency and Not My Ashanti Linage-NAPO Reveals:

I Was Selected As Running Mate Based on My Competency and Not My Ashanti Linage-NAPO Reveals:

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) vice-presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, has strongly rejected assertions that his candidacy is linked to his Asante lineage or ethnicity.

Speaking before the dissolution of the 8th Parliament, Dr. Opoku Prempeh, also known as Napo, criticized those attempting to tribalize the electoral process in Ghana, calling such claims baseless and divisive.

Addressing the issue in a passionate statement, Napo emphasized that while his Ashanti heritage is a part of who he is, it was not the basis for his selection as Vice Presidential candidate.

He responded directly to critics, saying, “My lineage is true, but this argument you are making, if a fringe makes an argument, it does not mean their general. It is a hoot, and it is not true. Bawumia didn’t choose me because I was an Ashanti.”

Napo further asserted that accusations based on ethnicity are misleading and harmful, aiming to sow division.

He stressed the importance of understanding that political decisions should not be reduced to ethnic considerations. “Did you ask Dr. Bawumia so how do you then go to somebody who has an exclusive reason and then say some people you met are saying they choose Napo because of that? That is tribalizing elections in this country,” Napo stated emphatically.

The NPP vice-presidential candidate also shared his extensive connections within the political landscape, regardless of party affiliation.

He revealed that he had enjoyed strong relationships with members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), noting that many senior NDC figures had mentored him during his time in Parliament.

He mentioned key figures such as ET Mensah, Joe Adjaho, and Bagbin, alongside his counterparts from the NPP like Kyei Mensah Bonsu and Opare Ansah.

“I benefitted from a lot of the senior NDC people, taking me as somebody who was their junior brother and tutoring me in parliament,” he remarked.