Nkrumah’s vision was expansive — Matthew Opoku Prempeh
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh
Former running mate of the NPP, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has urged Ghanaians to look beyond partisan politics and collectively uphold the legacy of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Dr Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, made the appeal when he made a surprise appearance at the 2026 Nkrumahfest at Nkroful in the Western Region on Saturday, September 19.
The event, which marked the 117th birthday of Dr Nkrumah, brought together people to commemorate the life and legacy of the former president.
NAPO’s appearance comes amid renewed attention to comments he made about Dr Nkrumah during the 2024 election campaign.
At an NPP event in Kumasi where he was unveiled as the party’s running mate, NAPO stated that no president since independence had contributed more to Ghana than then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He further said “not even your Kwame Nkrumah” had moved the country forward and protected it in the same way.
He subsequently apologised, explaining that he did not intend to disrespect Dr Nkrumah or any former president.
Speaking at Saturday’s event, however, NAPO stressed that Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to Ghana and Africa should transcend partisan political differences.
“Nkrumah’s vision was expansive, visionary and fiercely Pan-African. Therefore, celebrating him in this magnificent defensive manner in his home district is a duty incumbent upon all of us,” he said.
He called on Ghanaians to prioritise national unity and patriotism when assessing and celebrating Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to Ghana.
“Regardless, true patriotism demands that we rise above partisan narrowness to honour those who laid the bedrock upon which our present democracy and national identity rests,” he added.
NAPO further urged Ghanaians to renew their commitment to selfless service, patriotism, national unity and national development in order to preserve and advance Dr Nkrumah’s ideals.
Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was famously known as the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana. He was one of the major driving forces behind leading the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957, the first sub-Saharan African country to do so.
