Former Education Minister and
now Minister-designate for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has retracted and
apologized to former President John Dramani Mahama for accusing him of busing
people to the Independence Square in 2017, to come and fake a fainting scene
during the placements for students into senior high schools.
According to him, he regrets
making the comments since he had no evidence to prove them.
Mr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh went
viral for his comments on students and parents who collapsed at the Black Star
Square in 2017.
He claimed on Asempa FM that
former President John Mahama bused people to Independence Square to cause chaos
during the exercise and fake collapsing to give the ruling government a bad
name.
“We opened the center at the
independence square to address the needs of Ghanaians who want to go to school,
but some evil people have decided to pay GHc 20 and GHc 50 to people to go
there and stage fainting and collapse, yesterday some of the collapses were
fake. I’m even wondering why they brought little kids to the centre,” he
stated.
He was asked to apologize after
making the comments but the nominee refused.
But appearing before the Vetting
Committee on Friday, February 12, 2021, the nominee apologized for his
comments.
He was confronted by Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the NDC MP
for North Tongu if he had evidence to support his claims.
He originally asked if the Chair
could produce the former President before the Committee so he will put it to
his face so the committee would be able to discover that his (Prempeh’s) claims
were true.
But the Chair, Joseph Osei Owusu
said he would not be able to produce the former leader hence the nominee should
answer the question.
He then responded saying he
would have said these things differently if he had the opportunity.
However, Minority Leader Haruna
Iddrisu put it to him if he has regretted his action.
When asked if he could prove, he
said the information he relied on was not authentic hence he has withdrawn
However, when asked to
apologize, he said if those words used, hurt the former president, he would
withdraw and apologize.
This was after Alhassan Suhuyini
had also raised the same issue.
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