Former President John Mahama has expressed deep concern over remarks made by Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential running mate, regarding Ghana’s former heads of state.
During his unveiling as the running mate to NPP flagbearer Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on July 9, 2024, Dr. Prempeh controversially claimed that no president, including Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has contributed to the nation’s development as much as President Akufo-Addo.
Speaking at a community engagement in the Adaklu Constituency of the Volta Region, Mahama condemned Dr. Prempeh’s comments as disrespectful to the late president.
He criticized the NPP official’s arrogance, stating, “He cannot hide his arrogance,” and described many of his statements as “very disrespectful and very insulting.”
Mahama emphasized that in Ghanaian tradition, it is inappropriate to speak ill of the dead, asserting, “You can insult me because I can respond, but in our tradition, you don’t say evil things about the dead.”
“You don’t disrespect the dead because they are not alive to respond to you,” the former president added.
