Though he was a card bearing member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when he co-moderated the 2012 Presidential debate, the Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has intimated that he did not favour then NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Responding to a question from the Odododiodio MP, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye during his vetting, he said he exhibited the necessary professionalism when he moderated the presidential debate with former Education Minister, Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman.
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah had garnered acclaim for his work in journalism before entering the political arena and becoming the MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi.
It is his credentials as a journalist that he pointed to as evidence of his neutrality
“I did not train as a journalist, but when I got on the job, my employers were kind enough to subject me to a lot of training both locally and internationally, and one of the things I was trained in is professionalism…To stay on the facts and stay in the middle regardless of what your personal sentiments are on a particular matter.”
He added that some practicing journalists also have party cards but are still striving for professionalism.
“I do know that today, there are a lot of journalists out there who are card bearing members of various political parties. That in itself for me is not bad. The test is how you are able to do your work professionally so that at the end of the day, the average listener or viewer will say that has been a fair job,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said.