Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mustapha Gbande, says the running mate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, has lost the opportunity to prove Ghanaians wrong about their perception that he is arrogant.

The verdict follows Napo's demeanour on the podium when he was outdoored on Tuesday, speaking in his usual boisterous, high-pitched tone and pontificating at Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Read also: We want to win 85% votes in Ashanti Region, says Opoku Prempeh

Dr. Opoku Prempeh while declaring that no president has developed Ghana better than President Akufo-Addo, he pointed out that the list includes 'that your Kwame Nkrumah'.

That reference, and the manner of his delivery, has been condemned widely.

Since the NPP's presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia selected Dr. Opoku Prempeh as his running mate, a section of Ghanaians has raised concerns about his attitude, with many accusing him of being arrogant.

A popular reference is his retort earlier this year when he challenged individuals advocating for the issuance of a load-shedding timetable to publish their own time table.

Another was Opoku Prempeh statement in 2021, in which he threatened to lead a demo in the Ashanti Region should provision be made in the 2022 budget for the construction of the Keta Sea Defence Project.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, Mustapha Gbande stated that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh “Has moved from being arrogant. He has moved from being somebody who cannot structure what he says and what he does, to an uncontrollable person.

“Yesterday was an opportunity for him to call for unity and bring reconciliation into the party. At least we all know that he was competing with other people, but he missed that chance.”

Mr Mustapha stated that when the NPP running mate addressed the issue of 'dumsor,' he did not acknowledge its existence, and added that the NPP government is out of touch with the reality that citizens are experiencing.

“It looks as if the whole of the NPP leadership that gathered in Kumasi yesterday is operating from a different world from where Ghanaians stand. Because ordinary Ghanaians believe that there is a high rate of corruption in this government, the ordinary Ghanaian believes that there is waste in this government.

“The ordinary Ghanaian believes that we were hit by an external crisis, but we could have done better if there was a sense of responsibility and urgency within the government.

“But yet all the functionaries of this government, when they get the opportunity, will tell Ghanaians how they are doing well,  and that we do not see what they are doing,” he noted.

At his inauguration on Tuesday, a number of NPP bigwigs spoke, among other things, to tout party and government achievements, project election victory, call for reconciliation and hard work within party ranks, and also call the bluff of opposition candidate and former president, John Dramani Mahama, virtually rubbishing his chances.

Ahead of his inauguration, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, had cause to caution Opoku Prempeh not to give Vice President Bawumia cause to regret choosing him.

The king also told Napo that he had heard accusations of unbecoming conduct against him which he said was strange because the Napo he knew, was well brought up. He therefore urged him to prove his critics wrong.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as ‘Chairman Wontumi,’ disclosed that the party has over one million strategies to secure victory in the December elections. 

Chairman Wontumi expressed his confidence in the party’s ability to win the December polls and break the ‘8’.