Matthew Opoku Prempeh
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has overwhelmingly endorsed Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s running mate for the December 7 general election.
General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, who announced this after the meeting of the NPP NEC members, said the decision was unanimous.
According to him, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as Napo, brings to the NPP presidential ticket decades of political astuteness, trustworthy leadership, confidence, decisiveness, grassroots mobilisation, charisma, patriotism, and demonstrable incorruptibility.
“Again, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh shares Dr. Bawumia’s vision of bold solutions for our country that are responsive to the needs, opportunities and challenges of the 21st century,” he added.
In this respect, the NPP General Secretary asserted that Napo complements the party’s flagbearer in “many significant ways and the two enjoy a warm, personal relationship anchored on deep mutual respect.”
He said the Manhyia South MP, who is also the Minister of Energy, has a great working relationship with the flagbearer, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia.
“The synergy between these two great leaders on our presidential ticket, coupled with their proven track-record and transformational campaign message, would help the New Patriotic Party to secure a resounding third consecutive electoral victory on the 7th of December 2024, by the grace of God,” he pinned.
The NPP National Council is the second highest decision-making body of the party and it met yesterday to consider the nomination of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh by the flagbearer.
The move forms part of the constitutionally mandated processes for selecting the party’s running mate as per Article 13(3)(1) of the NPP Constitution.
“I am happy to report that after the necessary consideration, the National Council of the party unanimously endorsed the Presidential Candidate’s nomination of Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and Energy Minister, as his Vice Presidential Candidate pursuant to Article 13(3) of the Party Constitution,” Mr. Kodua stressed.
He said this significant milestone marked the completion of the presidential ticket of the NPP for the 2024 general election.
He noted that it has also laid the groundwork for the party to properly engage Ghanaian voters with its “message of transformation.”
Napo Profile
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is a 56-year-old medical doctor, devout Christian, and consummate politician.
He is a product of Prempeh College and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, both in Kumasi, as well as the Erasmus University in The Netherlands.
According to the party, he made his first appearance as a leader at KNUST after winning the position of local National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) President, which he held between 1991 and 1992.
After several years working for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, he returned to Ghana in 2005 to seek a career in business and, most importantly, politics.
He was elected Member of Parliament for Manhyia in 2009. Before the 2012 elections, the constituency was divided in two, and he won the newly created Manhyia South Constituency, which he retained in 2016 and 2020.
Mr. Kodua indicated that due to his interest in education, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo named him Minister of Education during his first term.
He asserted that Dr. Prempeh oversaw the effective implementation of the government’s flagship Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, which saw the country’s secondary school population increase from 800,000 in 2016 to 1.2 million by January 2021.
After delivering at the Ministry of Education, President Akufo-Addo chose him to manage the Ministry of Energy during his second term, where he once again displayed his exceptional leadership abilities, the NPP General Secretary said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu