Political Strategist and National Democratic Congress Activist, Dela Coffie has denounced the nomination of Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the ruling New Patriotic Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2024 general elections.
Mr Coffie, in a scathing critique, vehemently expressed doubt over the impact of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s selection, further questioning the rationale for his nomination by the governing party’s flagbearer and subsequent approval by the party’s leadership.
He posited that while Dr. Bawumia’s choice appears to be a strategic move aimed at solidifying the NPP’s base in the Ashanti Region, a known stronghold for the party, the Manhyia South lawmaker cannot attract enough support for the ruling party.
“Okay, the deed has been done – the Vice president and 2024 NPP flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has settled on Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh(Napo) as his Vice Presidential candidate or running mate. Well, pollsters regularly say that the vice-presidential pick has almost no impact on a campaign.
“But then the idea that a vice presidential candidate can increase turnout among a particular voting bloc isn’t born out by the results in recent elections. It’s been with us since the dawn of partisan politics. In fact, Dr Bawumia’s decision was a complete no-brainer – It’s trite that the choice of Napo is basically to help get out the Ashanti votes”.
Dela Coffie, Political Strategist and NDC Activist
The political strategist further recounted that historically, the Ashanti Region has consistently delivered overwhelming support for the New Patriotic Party’s presidential candidates, with every candidate since former President John Kufuor in 2000 securing between 74 and 76 percent of the vote.
He further pointed out that in the 2020 elections, President Akufo-Addo achieved 71 percent of the Ashanti vote, a critical component of his electoral success.
However, the National Democratic Congress’s activist Dela Coffie raised a critical question, expressing doubt over whether the combination of the Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Dr Matthew Opoku- Prempeh and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidate for the ruling party can maintain or exceed such level of support from the Ashanti Region in the upcoming election.
According to him, given the Energy Minister and former Education Minister’s contentious political record and reputation, the New Patriotic Party is far from guaranteeing such support from the Ashanti Region.
Napo’s Controversial Record
Highlighting some of the contentious records of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Dela Coffie indicated that the Manhyia South lawmaker is a polarizing figure known for his blunt and often abrasive rhetoric.
He recounted that in 2021, in the aftermath of the Keta tidal wave disaster, the Manhyia South lawmaker faced backlash for suggesting he did not understand why the opposition NDC would advocate for government funds to be allocated to their stronghold.
“Again, while refuting the recent suggestion that Ghana has returned to the days of power crisis popularly known as dumsor, he asked Ghanaians ‘to do their own dumsor timetable if they wanted one’. By almost every measure, the choice by Dr Bawumia in some ways mirrors his political standing in the NPP. Which way you look at it, the NPP now stands on the brink of a political precipice.
Dela Coffie, Political Strategist and NDC Activist
In his closing remarks, Mr Coffie strongly asserted that the choice of the Manhyia South lawmaker as the New Patriotic Party’s running mate places the ruling party in a precarious position.
He admonished that the New Patriotic Party must navigate the potential pitfalls of the Manhyia South Member of Parliament’s controversial persona while leveraging his regional influence to secure the necessary votes.
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