Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) vice-presidential candidate, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has claimed that comments he made about Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, during the 2024 election campaign were deliberately misrepresented by political opponents and sections of the media for partisan advantage.

Speaking at the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Dr Opoku Prempeh reflected on his experience as running mate to the NPP’s 2024 presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia.

He said he was not surprised by the public reaction that followed his remarks, arguing that political actors often reinterpret statements to fit their preferred narratives.

Maintaining that his comments had been straightforward, the former Energy Minister insisted that the controversy stemmed from deliberate attempts to distort his message for political purposes.

“When I talked about Nkrumah, most of the reportage was twisted. I live in a political space, and when people want to twist your words, they will always do. But I can assure you that it will only last a short time,” he said.

Dr Opoku Prempeh also rejected suggestions that he is arrogant, describing the perception as a political label created by critics rather than a reflection of his character.

He explained that before accepting the role of running mate, he anticipated that opponents would seek to portray him negatively during the campaign.

According to him, many of those who publicly described him as arrogant had never interacted with him personally, a situation he said illustrated the nature of political discourse.

“Before I started this running mate, nobody ever went on air and said I was arrogant. But they did an analysis and tagged me as such. Every radio commentator said the same thing, but none of them had even met me,” he stated.

Despite the criticism, Dr Opoku Prempeh said he remained unfazed by such attacks, expressing confidence that attempts to misrepresent public figures are eventually exposed.

“I don’t let it bother me because those who do that are easily found,” he added.

The controversy dates back to June 9, 2024, when Dr Opoku Prempeh, during his unveiling in Kumasi as the NPP’s running mate, stated that no Ghanaian president, including Dr Nkrumah, had achieved more than former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The comments sparked widespread criticism and calls for an apology from sections of the public.

He later issued a statement expressing regret over the remarks and apologised for the offence and controversy they generated.