Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 elections, has firmly ruled out any intentions of contesting in the 2028 general elections.
His declaration comes amidst swirling rumours and internal party debates following the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) loss in the last national polls.
“My interest now, immediately, is to get a united party for a flag bearer who will eventually come forward in 2028,” NAPO said in an interview.
“Me, personally? No, I’m not running in 2028.”
The former Energy Minister’s announcement comes in the wake of a research publication that linked him to the NPP’s defeat in 2024.
When asked about his reaction to the findings, he maintained composure but challenged the research’s credibility.
“I have a master’s in clinical research and I can go about punch[ing] holes in the research methodology and things like that,” he said. “But it doesn’t help the space.”
Despite criticism from within party circles and segments of the public, NAPO emphasized that he would always choose the party’s collective interest over personal ambition.
“If the committee says, okay, for us to win 2028, NAPO should not stand, I will not stand. Because I prefer my party to win power than for me to cause the worst,” he stated.
NAPO, known for his frank and fiery public persona, also called for calm within the NPP as the party continues to analyze the reasons behind its electoral loss.
“We have to know that the party is made up of different groups of people… Their own personalities and their own inclinations,” he said.
“But we should exercise a bit of self-restraint. If we all decide to go out and muddy the waters, what will we drink?”
He took a philosophical approach to the public scrutiny he has received, even as comedians and critics made him the subject of satire.
Referring to a comic act by a performer Alfonso, NAPO remarked, “He had a roof full and he was using me. I think he’s making money, so I’ll let my lawyers contact him so that we share the proceeds.”
Still, he acknowledged the power of publicity in politics.
“In politics, I’ve heard somebody say there’s nothing like bad news. There’s nothing like bad PR. Your name has to be out there,” he said. “If your name is the butt of jokes, it means people are thinking about you.”
He dismissed speculation that certain party figures had issued official reports about his role in the 2024 elections, clarifying that the party’s official report was yet to be received.
“Today is when the party is going to receive the report,” he stated.
“And the party will act on the report, not on the comments people have made.”
For NAPO, loyalty to the party remains paramount.
“If you don’t want to obey what the report says, you don’t want to be a member of the party,” he stressed.
He asked that “The last time I checked, I haven’t seen any candidate win 100%. Have you?”
–BY Issah Olegor
