Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the running mate to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 election, has clarified his “mo Kwame Nkrumah” remarks he stated in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
According to De Matthew Opoku Prempeh, he was taken out of context and completely misunderstood.
He argued that the public outrage that followed his comment was interpreted as an attack on Ghana’s first President.
NAPO further highlighted his remark in comparison to a football banter to emphasise that arguing that he was not attacking Kwame Nkrumah.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh stated, “At that time, you can’t go into the evidence, so I made a statement ‘mo Kwame Nkrumah’, and I subsequently had to go to Nkroful and speak to the Chiefs there and explain the contest in which the statement was made,” he said.
“Because in politics, if somebody misunderstands, misquotes, or you allow your communication to be misread or to be misunderstood, you have to own it. So I owned it, and that is why I issued the statement,” he said.
He added, “Not that the context was wrong. I’m a die-hard fan of Kumasi Asante Kotoko. So if I’m teasing Olympic supporters and I said ‘mo Oly fuo no’, I’m not really insulting Olympic fans. I’m just upping Kotoko fuo because I am one of them”.
The former NPP running mate acknowledged, “It was totally misunderstood, and it generated a lot of uproar. Nkrumahists got furious, and I apologise to them,” he said. But he urged critics to reflect on Nkrumah’s own writings.
“They should go and read Kwame Nkrumah’s Last Days from Guinea and look at how he described his own Convention People’s Party (CPP). He said the CPP was dead. That’s Nkrumah’s own writing, so we don’t say these things out of lack of respect. You know me. I have friends everywhere,” he noted.
It will be recalled that NAPO, during his official unveiling in Kumasi on July 9, as the running mate of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, claimed no president, including Kwame Nkrumah, had outperformed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He stated, “Since independence in 1957, we’ve not had any president who has helped Ghana like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. From 1957 till today, you can bring your Kwame Nkrumah… no president has protected Ghana and moved the country forward like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
He, however, subsequently apologised for his comments comparing the achievements of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, to those of then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In a statement released and signed by Dr Opoku Prempeh, he clarified that his remarks were a reflection of his personal opinion regarding President Akufo-Addo compared to other Ghanaian leaders.
“I wish to emphasise that I never meant to disrespect our former president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, or any of our former presidents or heads of state, including my own grand uncle and mentor, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor.
“I note the concerns raised, and I sincerely apologise for any discomfort caused,” he wrote.
Watch the video below:
Exclusive: My “mo Kwame Nkrumah” statement was taken out of context and totally misunderstood
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) November 24, 2025
– Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, 2024 NPP running mate. #JoyNews #PMExpress pic.twitter.com/XyNm46GMuO