Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as the launch of a lawless vigilante group.
He claimed it was a disservice to Ghanaians for the NDC to unveil the ‘Azorka Boys’ in the Ashanti Region on the same day the country launched a National Peace Campaign ahead of the 2024 elections.
Dr. Prempeh, popularly known as , made these remarks during a community engagement in Duadaso, in the Jaman North Constituency of the Bono Region, on Monday, November 4, 2024, as part of his campaign tour.
In response, the NDC’s First National Vice Chairman, Sofo Awudu, defended the group, asserting that the launch was merely a campaign and not a vigilante group, as some claim. He argued that there is nothing criminal about the group and accused political opponents of misrepresenting their intentions.
However, Napo strongly condemned the NDC’s conduct, urging Ghanaians to “vote wisely” for a political party that prioritizes peace.
“While political leaders and eminent Christian and Muslim clergy were in Accra launching the National Peace Campaign ahead of the 2024 elections, our opponents [the NDC] were in Kumasi on the same day launching a lawless vigilante group to cause mayhem during the elections. Vote wisely,” he stated.
Dr. Prempeh went on to express that he was not surprised by the NDC’s actions, claiming that the party lacks commitment to development and the welfare of the ordinary Ghanaian, and will prioritize votes, even if it risks civil unrest.
He cited the anti-vigilante law, emphasizing that lawbreakers must be held accountable.
Napo also referenced remarks by NDC presidential candidate John Mahama, who he said had boasted about the party’s revolutionary roots and claimed that no other political party could match them in violence.
Napo reassured that the NPP, as a peace-loving party, will focus on ideas rather than violence.
Dr. Prempeh’s campaign tour of the Jaman North and South Constituencies of the Bono Region included the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Alfred Tua Yeboah; Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene; and Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, Kwame Baffoe Abronye.
