The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul Hamid, has endorsed the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh(NAPO), as the ideal candidate for the position of running mate to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. 

Dr Hamid, a former Information Minister, highlighted Dr Opoku Prempeh's extensive association with the party and his deep understanding of its ideologies and principles as qualities that make him well-suited for the role.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews on Sunday, November 26, Dr Hamid emphasised Dr Opoku Prempeh's competence in politics and the significant political value he brings to the party, making him a compelling choice that cannot be overlooked.

“The candidate won’t ask for my opinion, but if he were to ask my opinion that all the names that have been thrown around who will give us political value and political capital, I would say Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

“First of all, he is a political colossus in our tradition. 

“He has been a political participant in our political tradition for ages,” Dr Hamid remarked.

“So he knows the party well and knows our philosophies and principles of our party. 

“The other thing is that, ever since he held political office, he has accomplished. I was in Cabinet with him and for the four years that we were in Cabinet, he at the Ministry of Education, tabled and passed the most reforming laws,” he recalled, eulogising Dr Prempeh.

As tensions rise within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the selection of a running mate for Dr Bawumia after his recent victory in the flagbearership election, intense discussions and coalitions have emerged among MPs from the ruling party regarding potential choices for the running mate position.

Several names, including Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu, and Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, have been circulating. Parliamentarians have stressed the importance of allowing Dr. Bawumia the space to make a thoughtful decision without undue pressure as discussions about the 2024 elections intensify