The District Chief Executive and NPP Parliamentary candidate for Ellembelle Constituency, Kwasi Bonzo says plans are far advanced for Dr Matthew Prempeh to meet the traditional authorities in Nzema land to apologize, particularly to the Chiefs and People of Nkroful.
He said he personally spoke to the running mate to Dr Bawumia about the need to come in-person to Nkroful to appease the traditional leaders.
“I have spoken to him personally in my capacity as Ellembele DCE and he has assured me that even after his national apology, all politics is local. He says he’s coming home, Kwame Nkrumah’s hometown to meet the chiefs and the elders in the shortest possible time to render an unqualified apology, so that we can all move on us a people. So, we are working on fixing the date for him to render the apology. It had been agreed even before this press conference”.
His assurance comes after the chiefs and people of Nkroful in the Western Region demanded that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh goes to Nzema to apologize to the traditional leaders and the family of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
They said his comments at Kumasi during his unveiling ceremony was an affront to Ghana’s democracy which has the potential to derail the peace and unity of the country and describe his apology as hollow.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) running mate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh sparked outrage and public disaffection after suggesting that not even Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah achieved anything closer to what President Akufo Addo has done.
Following intense public backlash, he issued a statement last Friday to apologize, but this seems not enough to placate some groups of people.
A group, the concerned youth of the Western Region on Friday, July 12, called for a proper apology from him whilst urging the traditional leaders of the land to add their voices and also ban him from their palaces in the interim.
The latest call is from the Chiefs and people of Nkroful who say his comments on July 9, sought to undermine, denigrate and humiliate their icon, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Addressing the media on Sunday July 14, at Nkroful in the Ellembele District, the Chief of Nkroful, Nana Kwasi Kutuah the fifth demanded that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh goes Nzema to meet Nananom and the family of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to render an unreserved apology to the kinsmen of the late president.
“We think that Dr. Prempeh was not forthright with Ghanaians when he alluded to the fact that he didn’t mean to insult Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. We have also learned that he has apologized to the good people of Ghana, and you know past presidents of Ghana. We want to demand that Dr. Prempeh, running mate of NPP should come to Nkroful to come and meet nananom and the family of Kwame Nkrumah and make a formal apology to us”.
He has also cautioned political actors and their followers to foster unity, peace and development.
