Member of Parliament(MP) for Tema West constituency, Carlos Ahenkorah, has condemned some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are exerting pressure on Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to select his running mate from their faction for the upcoming December 2024 elections.
The legislator has expressed his disagreement with the pressure that certain party members are putting on Dr. Bawumia to support their favored candidate. He believes that the continuous and unwavering pressure on the party’s flagbearer could potentially undermine the party’s foundation.
In an interview on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, Mr. Ahenkorah noted.
NPP has never experienced such an occurrence before as we are experiencing now. It is not as if they are lobbying. That would have been better but to engage in an open campaign stating that if the flagbearer does not pick their person the party will not win the December elections is unfounded. Such an attitude should not be entertained and encouraged in our party. This is weakening our party. It is giving the flagbearer unnecessary pressure.
Carlos Ahenkorah mentioned the era of former President John Agyekum Kufuor when he surprised many party members by choosing Alhaji Aliu Mahama as his running mate.
Nobody knew how President John Agyekum Kufuor selected Aliu Mahama as his running mate but it was his choice, and by the constitution of the NPP, the flagbearer has the prerogative to choose whoever he wishes to be his running mate.
The New Patriotic Party is currently facing internal divisions, as certain party members and constituency executives are openly pressuring the vice president to choose a candidate from their camp. This situation, as stated by the Tema West lawmaker, has the potential to cause significant rifts within the party, ultimately leading to its fragmentation.
If care is not taken, the people you are openly campaigning for to become the running mate might overshadow the flagbearer in terms of popularity, which is not good for us as a party ahead of the December general elections. If we are all to present our preferred candidate for the slot for a running mate, whose will be considered?” he quizzed, adding that, “the reason this will weaken the party is that should the flagbearer decide to choose another person entirely different from your choice, the groups will be disappointed and then they will develop cold feet towards the party. Some of them will not even vote for the party during the elections. Their relatives will be disappointed with the reason being that their relatives have been snubbed by the flagbearer.
Let’s stop these things and allow the flagbearer to choose the person who best fits.
He promptly mentioned that had the vice president and the presidential candidate of the NPP chosen their running mate earlier, the current pressure on him would have been avoided.
I will urge the vice president to select his running mate to put an end to the unnecessary pressure being mounted on him.
Concluding, the former deputy for Trade mentioned that, no party member has the right to put pressure on the flagbearer and the presidential candidate.
