Political Marketing Strategist, Prof. Kobby Mensah, has remarked that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lacks strong candidates for the upcoming 2024 election.
This assessment stems from the underperformance of two out of four candidates during their respective roles in the current government.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Prof. Mensah pointed out that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former Food and Agriculture Minister Dr. Afriyie Akoto, who are vying to represent the NPP in the 2024 general election, have tarnished their political images due to their subpar performance in their previous positions.
Known for his astute political analysis, Prof. Mensah expressed skepticism about the leadership capabilities of these two contenders and suggested that the party was, “for the first time, presenting very weak candidates.”
The situation of economic management under the NPP, with Dr. Bawumia leading the Economic Management Team, was one of Prof. Mensah’s main concerns.
“Economic management has been in shambles, and I’m surprised that they are trying to tout Dr. Bawumia’s credentials.”
The Political Strategist further criticised Dr. Bawumia for his deafening silence on economic matters since the country’s financial crisis began, noting, “I have never heard him [Dr. Bawumia] speak about the economy since the economy started plummeting.”
“Let us be frank, whenever they have spoken, they’ve attributed our economic woes to Ukraine and Covid-19 but everybody knows that they have mismanaged the economy,” he told host Evans Mensah on Wednesday.
Shifting his focus to Dr. Afriyie Akoto, Prof. Mensah raised concerns about the performance of the Food and Agriculture Ministry under his leadership. He specifically pointed to the “Planting for Food and Jobs” program, describing it as being in a state of disarray. Prof. Mensah criticized the strategies implemented during the minister’s tenure, characterizing them as reactive and insufficient in producing meaningful results.
However, during the show, Sammy Awuku, a former National Organiser of the ruling NPP, strongly disagreed with Prof. Mensah’s characterization of the party’s presidential aspirants. He argued that the NDC had even less promising presidential candidates during their primaries, and yet Prof. Mensah did not make similar statements about them.
In response, Mr. Awuku highlighted the qualifications held by the two NPP contenders and expressed his belief that they would perform effectively if given the opportunity.
The ruling party is gearing up to select its flagbearer this weekend, with delegates tasked with deciding whether Vice President Dr. Afriyie Akoto, Kennedy Agyapong, and Francis Addai-Nimoh will be included on the party’s ticket for the 2024 elections.