The Herald’s report that flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will make Energy Minister and Manhyia South Lawmaker, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, his running mate for the 2024 presidential election, has been vindicated with confirmation, his name has been submitted to the party’s elders.
But the Energy Minister’s selection goes beyond Dr Bawumia, to the preferences of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the second president of the Fourth Republic.
Equally, there are objections from Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Asante Akim North legislator, Andi Appiah-Kubi
Aside from preferring an Ashante, Dr Bawumia, had kept his preferences to his chest, but party insiders have said the Energy Minister was not his person.
Dr Opoku Prempeh isn’t also the preferred candidate of President Nana Akufo-Addo, The Herald, hence the use of a survey allegedly done by the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) saying he was preferred as the NPP running mate to work on his mind to convince him and others.
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The NIB survey, claimed it engaged 5,116 NPP delegates nationwide, including national, regional, constituency, and polling station executives.
According to the NIB study, Dr Opoku Prempeh, secured 76.2percent of the responses from executives polled.
A founding member of the NPP and diplomat, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has stated that Dr Bawumia’s position makes it very difficult for him to pick his own running mate.
He was weighing in on the media speculations that the Vice President of Ghana and the Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has settled on the Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (also known as NAPO) as his running mate for the December Presidential Election.
“There are some people in the party who because of their own interest won’t allow Bawumia to pick his own running mate” he alleged.
But the outspoken NPP Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has said that he would not have chosen Dr Opoku Prempeh as running mate for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, if it was up to him to do so.
According to Mr Appiah-Kubi, although Dr Opoku Prempeh, qualifies to be vice president of Ghana, “I won’t choose him”.
Dr Bawumia is reported to have presented Dr Opoku Prempeh’s name to President Akufo-Addo on June 26, as his choice of a running mate.
Prior to that, Dr Opoku Prempeh, has been widely tipped to be the choice among others.
Dr Bawumia’s choice is expected to be presented to the National Executive Council for the final decision before the official announcement.
Commenting on the development on June 27, Mr Appiah-Kubi, said Dr Opoku Prempeh, lacks what he (Appiah-Kubi) looks out for in a running mate for the NPP.
“We have not been consulted as a caucus for us to state our position, but me Appiah-Kubi, if it was for me to choose, I won’t choose him. Because he is not my preference… I would want somebody who will be open to the people on the ground, who will be able to deliver the votes, somebody who will submit to the presidency and who will also bring parliament closer to the executive,” he explained.
The Asante Akim North legislator further noted that, “We should find somebody who if the presidential candidate is not there, he will hold the hand of a member of parliament and go and campaign in that member’s constituency… he cannot hold my hand so why should I prefer him?” He quizzed.
On his part, the Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has said Energy Minister and lawmaker for Manhyia South, needs to be serious and be prepared to deal with questions about the “wasted efforts” in the energy sector with a huge $ 2 billion deficit in the sector.
Franklin Cudjoe, says the former Minister of Education, must also tell Ghanaians how qualitatively he thinks the Free Senior High School policy has added to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Finally, how he will deal with aggressive corruption, reduce ‘big daddy’ expenditure plans and how and when he will ask his boss, Dr Bawumia to own up and man up to the economic decadence he has been gloriously a part of, Mr Cudjoe added.
In a Facebook post, Franklin Cudjoe said “So it is true, Napo is running mate to Bawumia. Thanks for confirming, folks. I think it was a difficult choice because of his notorious public comments on critical issues and posturing.
“I do know, however, that he can be serious when he wants to – I admired his professionalism when he was ranking member of the health committee in Parliament under the late Atta Mills. l had been invited to appear before the health committee meeting he was chairing to testify on certain aspects of the public health bill that was inimical to civil liberties. Eventually, the bill was passed.
“I was part of a small group he invited to meet over how he intended to roll out the free SHS promise after being named the first education minister in 2017. It was a difficult conversation especially when there was no policy paper to guide the implementation of the programme. But he pummeled through the implementation amidst the imperfections. The challenges though have come full circle.
“Napo is his own nemesis. He can be abrasive when he wants to. Now though, he needs to be serious and be prepared to deal with questions about the wasted efforts in the energy sector, with a huge $2bn deficit in the sector. He must tell us how qualitatively he thinks free SHS had added to the country’s GDP and finally how he will deal with aggressive corruption, reduce big daddy expenditure plans and how and when he will ask his boss, Bawumia to own up and man up to the economic decadence he has been gloriously a part of. I wish Napo and his boss well.”
According to Dr Tamaloe, the choice of NAPO by Bawumia as his running mate per media speculation, is not surprising at all.
“I predicted that he will not be given the free hand by some people in the party because of their own interest. I know for a fact that he can’t pick his own running mate and I made mention of this seven months ago. He will definitely have to pick his running mate from the Ashanti Region” he emphasized in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show, June 27.
Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, has also questioned why all past presidential candidates under the Fourth Republic picked their own running mates, but Bawumia can’t do the same.
“Rawlings picked his own running mate, Kuffour picked his own running mate, Attah Mills picked his own running mate, John Mahama picked his own running mate and Akufo-Addo scene 1 and 2 picked his own running mate, why can’t Bawumia,” he quizzed.
The former ambassador, noted that he has worked with Bawumia before and describes him as a nice gentleman, however, it is not every nice gentleman who can be a good politician.
“To be frank with you, Bawumia is a nice gentleman. I have worked with him before. He is a very nice gentleman, but it is not every nice gentleman who can be a good politician. Bawumia, I predicted, will not be given a freehand to pick his own running mate by some party people because of their own interest”.
The respected statesman mentioned that the country has various regions and if the NPP is going to prove that indeed it has political representation in all the sixteen regions, then a presidential candidate should be free to choose whoever he wants to run with, be it a male or a female.
He further noted that the 2024 election campaign is going to be difficult for the NPP since Alan Kyerematen has left the party
. According to him, the political culture of the Ashanti Region is changing because the people of the region are going through the same sufferings that the people of the other regions are facing.
“So, Ashanti Region now, if you pick a running mate from that region, I don’t think we are going to get a hundred per cent from there. Within our own party, there are people who are not happy with the selection of Bawumia as the flagbearer of the party”.
He added that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the other parties in the Ashanti Region will all get some of the votes with Alan Kyerematen also getting a chunk of the votes.
“Those we have at the helm of affairs now are not helping our party, because when I put my mind back to some few years back to Kufour’s era, with all his problems listened but Akufo-Addo doesn’t listen” the NPP founding member stated.
