Former presidential aspirant candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Agyapong, has noted that he will never settle for the role of Vice President.
In an interview on the KSM show, the Assin Central MP was asked if he would accept an offer by NPP flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to be his running mate and, upon winning the 2024 elections, the Vice President.
He replied, “No, I wouldn’t do it. To tell you the truth, why I cannot be a Vice President is that I will speak my mind and I’m not going to be mate.”
This comes after Dr Bawumia delivered his vision speech as the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the UPSA auditorium on February 7, 2024, where he used the analogy of a mate and a driver, where the mate had limited control over driving; hence, in his position as a vice president.
He expressed how limited his powers and authority over decisions are, hence his desire to become president to be able to run the affairs of the country well.
But National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu, during an appearance on Kwame Sefa Kaye’s Kookrokoo morning show on Peace FM on February 20, believes this narrative is a ‘dangerous’ one to hold on to.
As stated by Mr. Owusu, a vice president is a co-driver and not a mate. As mandated by the constitution, a vice president is one who is eligible to step in as president in the absence of the president.
“But the nature of a vice president is that you are ready when the president is not there; you are there. That is why the constitution of the land says that when the president is not there, you are there. You are ready for the possibility. So a mate is not ready but vice president, you are ready.”