Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, says his controversial comments about Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, were deliberately distorted for  political advantage during the 2024 election campaign.

According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, his remarks were taken out of context by political opponents and sections of the media in an attempt to create a negative public perception about him.

Speaking at the University of Ghana’s Department of Political Science, on his experience as the running mate to NPP’s 2028 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Opoku Prempeh said he was not surprised by the backlash, describing it as part of the realities of political communication.

He argued that in politics, opponents often seize on statements and reinterpret them to suit their own narratives.

The former Energy Minister maintained that his comments had been clear, but were intentionally twisted by those seeking political gain.

“When I talked about Nkrumah, most of the reportage was twisted. I live in a political space, and when people want to twist your words, they will always do. But I can assure you that it will only last a short time.

Dr Opoku Prempeh further dismissed claims that he is arrogant, saying such perceptions were manufactured by critics who had never interacted with him personally.

He revealed that before accepting the role of running mate, he conducted a personal assessment of the potential criticisms that could be levelled against him and concluded that some political actors would attempt to brand him negatively.

According to him, many commentators who repeated those characterisations had never met him, underscoring what he described as the politically charged nature of public discourse.

“Before I started this running mate, nobody ever went on air and said I was arrogant. But they did an analysis and tagged me as such. Every radio commentator said the same thing, but none of them had even met me,” he said.

Despite the controversy, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said he remains unconcerned about such attacks, insisting that deliberate attempts to misrepresent public figures are usually exposed over time.

“I don’t let it bother me because those who do that are easily found,” he said.

At his unveiling in Kumasi on June 9, 2024, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh stated that no president in Ghana’s history, including the country’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, had outperformed former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The remarks sparked widespread public backlash, with many Ghanaians calling for an apology and a retraction.

However, in a subsequent statement, the former NPP running mate apologised for the comments, expressing regret over the controversy they generated.