The Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, along with ten other civil society organizations, claims that Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), the Vice-Presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is unfit to occupy the second-highest position in the country.
The CSOs include ASEPA-Ghana, CFF Ghana, Arise Ghana, Democratic Credentials Network, 5 Second Connect Ghana, Peakquins Educational Foundation of Excellence, Grassroots Mobilizers network Ghana, Coalition of Ghanaians without Ghana Card, Africa Center for Economic and Environmental Sustainability Ratings, Coalition of CSOs in Education, Energy Watch Africa.
The Press conference by the CSOs comes ahead of the official unveiling of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, known as “NAPO,” as the running mate to their flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the 2024 general elections today, Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Kumasi.
Speaking to journalists at the Press Center in Accra on Tuesday July 9, 2024, Mensah Thompson said the announcement of Matthew Opoku Prempeh came as a shock to the civil society fraternity considering his performance and conduct as Minister for Education and Minister for Energy.
Mensah Thompson asserted that without any prejudices, they believe that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh poses certain character traits and weaknesses that make him unfit to occupy the second highest position of the land.
“Napo as Minister for Education transferred all Voltarians from the Ministry of education; in fact, he chased all directors who are Voltarians from the Ministry. In fact one of the former Directors who was chased out of the Ministry (whose name we will withheld because he is still in public office) tells us that, he used to be responsible for the Minister’s response to questions from Parliament.”
“During one of such preparations to answer questions on the floor of Parliament, there was a question of the number of e-blocks the previous administration had completed before leaving office. As a director he had provided accurate figures to the Minister in his response but the Minister insisted the numbers should be change to reflect what he believe was the true number.”
“The director’s insistence on the official figures, drew enmity between he and the Minister with Minister accusing him of being an NDC because he was Voltarian and subsequently chased him out of the Ministry. In fact the record shows that there were about 15-20 senior level and middle level directors at the Ministry of Education who were from the Volta region at the time Napo took over in 2017, by the time he left the Ministry in 2021, they were left with only one middle level officer at the Ministry from Volta region,” Mensah Thompson added.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com |Vivian Adu