Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Chairman of Asaase Broadcasting Company and a prominent stalwart in the New Patriotic Party, has shared his reflections on the 2024 general election results, expressing surprise at the scale of the NPP’s defeat.
In an exclusive interview on Asaase Radio monitored by Kumasimail, Otchere-Darko spoke candidly for the first time since the elections.
When asked about his initial reaction, he remarked, “Yes, since I got some big burden taken off me, yes,” indicating a sense of relief in finally addressing the outcome.
On how he processed the election results, Otchere-Darko said, “First of all, NDC winning was not a surprise, because historically, after a while, the country moves on and that sort of thing. And then, of course, there were a lot of challenges.”
However, he quickly added, “But I think it was the size of the defeat, rather than, if you like, the size of the victory, that surprised me. I wasn’t surprised by the results John Mahama got, but I was surprised by the results the NPP got.”
The host referenced Otchere-Darko’s long-standing reputation as Ghana’s “prime minister” in the past eight years, prompting a humorous yet pointed response.
“I think the last time I checked, our constitution was clear that we have a president, a vice president, ministers, and members of parliament, and the rest of it,” he said.
He recounted the origins of the nickname, tracing it back to 2017 when speculation ran rife about his potential appointment to various government positions.
“All manner of titles were given to me, including chief of staff, cabinet minister, blah, blah, blah. And eventually, Akufo-Addo gave me nothing, not even a board member. I mean, not even an assembly member,” Otchere-Darko revealed with a touch of irony.
He joked that Ghanaians might have coined the title out of disbelief that President Akufo-Addo would overlook him stating“It was quite funny,” he added.
Reflecting on a recent encounter with President John Mahama after his inauguration, Otchere-Darko shared, “He said, ‘Who did you hand over your prime ministerial position to?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’”
Source :www.kumasimail.com Kwadwo Owusu
