A member of the Bawumia campaign team, Sammi Awuku has shot down suggestions that the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is already considering his choice of a running mate for the 2024 polls.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, November 11, he said the Vice President is not in a rush to name his running mate.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia is an extremely analytical person and consults broadly on issues, so “he would be taking the views of people he knows and when he is ready when the time comes, he would pick the right man.”
“For now, let me issue a disclaimer. The Vice President has not discussed with any member of his inner team or bigger team about his choice that he would be recommending to the National Council,” he clarified.
His remark comes amid intense competition among some New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament over who partners with the Vice President.
On the first day of sitting following the flagbearership election, there have been talks among MPs from the governing party about his choice, with several coalitions forming to back the various names that have emerged.
The names include Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh; Minister for Energy, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu and Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Reacting to this, Mr Awuku said they appreciate the fact that there is so much excitement about who Dr Bawumia would choose as running mate.
However, the Vice President is presently focused on how to unite the party.
He also stated that Dr Bawumia is considering how to sort out the issues about the selection of parliamentary candidates for orphan constituencies.
Meanwhile, Kwadaso MP, Kingsley Nyarko has suggested that a running mate must be chosen from the Ashanti region since the region holds the key to the electoral fortunes of the NPP.
“There are a lot of competent personalities from the region, so I don’t think that it is out of place to get someone from there. He [Dr Bawumia] can decide to choose the running mate from any other region but I think that a running mate from the Ashanti region will be a step in the right direction,” he said.
