Okuapehene pulls support for Napo

The Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, has attested strongly to the humility of Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo) and encouraged Ghanaians to vote in their numbers for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December general election.

This will allow the solid foundations laid by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to set and undergird a Bawumia/Napo era, the chief said.

Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo said that the decision by the NPP’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and his running mate to seek the blessing and direction of traditional and religious leaders before embarking on their political campaign lends credence to their humility and respect for culture.

“I know you are humble, judging from your background as a royal,” the Okuapehene said. “All we are looking for from you is to be forthright and candid in all your dealings.

“If you have accepted [to be] the running mate of Dr Bawumia, then you have to be his partner to do all the necessary work for him to succeed,” he said.

Role for chiefs

Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo said that a member of Akuapem royalty (President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) has achieved so much that it is only a matter of time before the many scattered achievements come to the notice of Ghanaians.

As such, he tasked the running mate and his team to sell the record of these achievements, so that Ghanaians will be persuaded to vote for the NPP in the end-of-year elections.

Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo made these observations when Dr Opoku Prempeh paid a courtesy call on him at his residence in Akropong on Thursday (25 July 2024).

Speaking further, the traditional ruler said the initiative, spearheaded by Dr Bawumia and supported by Dr Prempeh, to include the views of chiefs and religious leaders in fashioning the nation’s development agenda is commendable.

The Okuapehene cited Dr Opoku Prempeh’s acknowledgment of the role that traditional rulers played in the struggle for independence and the establishment of the political tradition that began with the United Party (UP). This clearly shows the respect and dignity his party intends to accord chieftaincy and religious institutions if Ghanaians give the NPP the mandate to continue its good work, he said.

Work hard, believe in equity

The chief congratulated Dr Prempeh on his elevation to the position of running mate for the NPP, explaining that such a milestone was not achieved easily.

“It is because of your hard work for the party and country that you have been chosen to partner Dr Bawumia, and I strongly believe that you will deliver,” he declared.

He urged Dr Prempeh, known in political circles as “Napo”, not to relent but to work assiduously to support Dr Bawumia to win the election and retain power for the NPP.

“If you have been chosen as the running mate, it means all of us will rely on you and the leader,” Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo said. “It also means that you have to be the backbone of the leader to ensure victory is achieved.

“I strongly believe that when the NPP wins power, you will empower traditional leaders to reposition them in the development agenda of the country,” he said.

Peace, unity, development

For his part, Dr Opoku Prempeh acknowledged the role chiefs played in the struggle for the independence of the nation that became Ghana, through their efforts to co-ordinate action, their prayers and the sense of unity that they created.

He said further that the establishment of the UP tradition was by the effort of traditional leaders, and yet often, when the history of Ghana is told, the role that chiefs and other royalty played is not acknowledged, to the extent that it has become the common wisdom that chiefs don’t meddle in politics.

This notwithstanding, the chiefs, he said, have not stopped praying for the peace, unity and development of their communities.

Dr Opoku Prempeh assured traditional leaders that when the NPP wins power, they will regain their rightful place to allow them to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development.

He then introduced the new parliamentary candidates for Akuapem South (Eric Apeadu Yeboah), Akuapem North (Samuel “Sammi” Awuku) and Okere (Daniel Nana Addo Kenneth) to the Okuapehene and appealed for the chief’s support for the candidates.