Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of The Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has described the recent wave of apologies by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a “political gimmick of no real value.”
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana with Moro Awudu, Mr Pratt weighed in on the ongoing debate within the NPP over a series of public apologies from party figures. His comments followed remarks by leading party member Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who questioned the purpose and sincerity of the many apologies being issued.
“Gabby made an interesting point; why so many apologies?” Mr Pratt said. “Sometimes you ask yourself, what are these people apologising for? If you are apologising, you must be clear about what exactly you are apologising for. Otherwise, it becomes a self-inflicted blow come 2028.”
He added, “Apology is not something that should be done unrightly. Right now, it seems to me that their apology is a political gimmick of no real value, and that is the complaint Gabby is making. There is some validity in what Gabby is saying. If you like, call it a reckless apology.”
Mr Pratt’s remarks come in the wake of a response by the Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, who earlier stated that Gabby Otchere-Darko had also apologised to the Ashanti caucus of the NPP for his own comments.
Reacting to that, Mr Pratt clarified that Gabby’s role in the party differs from that of former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the party’s 2024 flagbearer.
“Gabby, unlike Dr Bawumia, is not contesting for the flagbearership of the NPP. He is not hoping to be on the ballot in 2028. What he says and does can be very different. After all, who is Gabby? A private legal practitioner, cousin to former President Nana Akufo-Addo; he is not the General Secretary of the party and may not even be a card-bearing member,” he said.
Mr Pratt concluded that the NPP’s recent pattern of public contrition could backfire if it continues without clarity or purpose, warning that “reckless apologies” may do the party more harm than good as it looks ahead to the next election cycle.
