The Running Mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as NAPO, has stated that statements made by some political figures regarding illegal mining activities, locally referred to as galamsey, cost the party in the 2020 elections.

According to him, some of the utterances by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama; and Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the NDC running mate, during their campaign in galamsey areas incited the people to vote against the sitting NPP Members of Parliament at the time.

NAPO asserted that the recent controversy in Parliament regarding the declaration of four seats vacant would not have been problematic for the NPP if they had not lost the 20 MPs due to issues about illegal mining activities.

Speaking in an interview with GTV, the NPP running mate blamed Mahama and Prof. Naana Jane for the reason the NPP lost what he said were some 20 parliamentary seats during the 2020 general elections.

“The running mate of NDC just about a month ago was in Tarkwa telling the miners that the government did not provide them with jobs. When did it become an issue that because the government could not provide them work, it becomes an illegality?

“There was a near riot in Parliament yesterday, and it was the consequence of John Mahama and Naana Jane’s irresponsible statements on galamsey that made NPP lose 20 seats in galamsey areas, which made us lose our Majority in Parliament,” he said, as shared by GTV on X.

His comment comes as the NPP struggles to maintain their Majority status in Parliament after four seats were declared vacant by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling to suspend the decision, it remains to be seen if the Speaker will abide by the ruling or not, seeing that he has adjourned the House indefinitely.

Meanwhile, catch up on the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV with Etsey Atisu as he caught with Philip Atawura, who just returned from a successful kidney transplant in India.





SB/AE