Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye
Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, has said his comment on Ghana’s digitisation progress was “misconstrued” and “misrepresented” to be an endorsement of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to be made the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2024.
According to him, such misrepresentation is “inaccurate” and a “complete falsehood”, cautioning the media and his party members not to be seen “pitching people against each other.”
“My attention has been drawn to a publication on pages 1 and 11 of The Daily Dispatch issue of Wednesday, May 19, 2021 claiming that I, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, have said that Bawumia should be NPP’s flagbearer for 2024.”
“Members of the general public are encouraged to disregard this misleading publication in The Daily Dispatch and other online media platforms,” the former Speaker said in a statement.
Prof. Oquaye continued, “I wish to state emphatically that I have not endorsed anyone as the 2024 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party,” and added that his recent interview with Okyeman TV only centred on the NPP and what it stands for from ancient to modern, including Ghana’s digitisation progress.
He emphasised that at no point in time did he make any comparison with any of the people who have shown interest in flagbearership of the NPP.
“It featured President Kufuor prominently in specific areas. No endorsement was suggested to me and I did not endorse anybody,” Prof. Oquaye insisted and explained that he stated categorically that “it will be fantastic if we are able to continue with this digitisation, automation and ICT,” having been asked about the progress of Ghana’s digitisation initiative under Dr. Bawumia.
“This complements the good work being done by Hon. Ursula at the Ministry of Communications. I consider Dr. Bawumia was an ‘A Plus’ performer, but so are other NPP stalwarts, including Hon. Kyerematen, Dr. Akoto, Hon. Ursula, Dr. Prempeh. These are all excellent material and I will continue to say so in context,” he noted.
According to him, the Trade Minister is today a global authority on International Trade, Business and Investment, and added that the headquarters of the Africa Trade Organisation and other things exemplified Mr. Alan Kyerematen.
“Also, Dr. Akoto complements development in our agro-based industry for our food both home and abroad. His work stands unprecedented in Ghana. The brilliance of Hon. Ursula in the application of ICT for national development must be spoken about, entirely without prejudice. She is also ‘A Plus’.”
Similarly, he said Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh was managing the challenges at the Energy Ministry “just like he did in the Education Ministry and we are all looking up to him and other brilliant stars which we the elders are proud of.”
“I must state that we should be able to extol the President’s men and women to show what the NPP is doing and is capable of. If the NPP fails to tell the world about the great achievements of President Akufo-Addo and his Ministers, we shall be heading for disaster in 2024,” he pointed out.
By Ernest Kofi Adu