The Chairman of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hackman Owusu Agyemang, has voiced his concerns regarding the mounting pressure on the party’s flagbearer, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to select his running mate for the forthcoming 2024 presidential election.
He underscored the pivotal role of the flagbearer, whose name appears on the ballot paper, and advocated for Dr. Bawumia to have the autonomy to choose a running mate whom he believes will enhance the party’s prospects for success on December 7, 2024.
Mr Owusu urged party members to refrain from imposing undue pressure on Dr. Bawumia and to afford him the opportunity to conduct consultations before arriving at a decision on his running mate.
“The pressure on the NPP presidential candidate from the media and others is unwarranted. He [Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia] is the one whose name will be on the ballot paper. I don’t believe elections are won by vice presidents; they play a role, but we should give Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia the space and time to consider all options, travel across the country, and consult properly before deciding on his running mate.”
Owusu continued, “I appeal to our [NPP] members, and to the nation, that Dr. Bawumia needs room to go through the process, and the pressure on him is unnecessary. We should not push him so hard.”
Various potential running mates have been mentioned, including Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh; and Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua indicated that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will announce his running mate by the end of July.
During an interview on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Kodua stressed that the decision on the running mate will be made before July.
“I have had discussions with many individuals, including Dr. Bawumia. It is clear to me that we announced our running mate in August previously, but it did not benefit us. This time, as we aim to ‘break the 8’, we must avoid repeating past mistakes,” he remarked.