Popular Ghanaian socialite and influencer Efia Odo has criticised New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice-presidential candidate Matthew Opoku Prempeh following comments he made during his unveiling.
At the event held on June 9, 2024, by the NPP in Kumasi, NAPO declared in his address to the nation that President Akufo-Addo has contributed more to Ghana’s development than any other leader since independence, surpassing even the nation’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.
His comments were not well-received by a cross-section of Ghanaians, including Efia Odo, who expressed her views on social media.
She pondered the state of the nation had Nkrumah not achieved independence for the Gold Coast, or had he not initiated key infrastructure projects.
“Imagine if Kwame Nkrumah had never led the Gold Coast to independence. Imagine if he had never constructed the motorway, built the Akosombo Dam, and Tema Harbor. What if he had never established the University of Science and Technology? Where would we have been as a people and a nation?” she questioned.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, was recently nominated by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the ruling NPP, as his running mate, a choice which received the unanimous endorsement of the party’s National Executive Council.
Speaking at the unveiling event in Kumasi, President Nana Akufo-Addo expressed confidence in the Bawumia-NAPO ticket, while the party’s flagbearer justified his choice of the current Manhyia South Member of Parliament and Minister for Energy as his running mate.
Various speakers, including the party’s national and regional officers and former flagbearer contenders, spoke at the event. They also expressed confidence in the party’s ability to win the upcoming election, especially against the main opposition, the National Democratic Congress.
