A group of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is urging its leader, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to ignore what they perceive to be pressure from some party factions to select their choice as his running mate for the December 2024 elections.
The group, which calls itself the Patriotic Movement for Bawumia, at a press conference in Kumasi on Sunday, April 21, advised the Vice President to show leadership by choosing a running mate who reflects his vision and judgement instead of giving in to the pressure from various quarters within the party lobbying for their preferred candidates to be his running mate.
In addition, the group has criticised certain activities and tactics employed by some factions within the party, including press conferences, persistent delegations to Dr. Bawumia, petitions, and threatening remarks in the media, all aimed at coercing Dr. Bawumia into selecting their favourite candidate as his running mate.
Convener of the group, James Fiifi Aggrey Eshun, emphasised the historical repercussions of yielding to internal pressures, stressing that Dr Bawumia’s prerogative as the party’s flagbearer is to “freely select a running mate without undue influence.”
“We are humbly advising our flagbearer, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia not to allow any individual or groups, to compel him or lure him into choosing a running mate against his actual or real choice. Allowing yourself to be manipulated in this manner has dire consequences for the party’s victory in this year’s presidential election.
“Selecting a running mate is the prerogative of the flagbearer, and under no circumstance must he or she be made to choose a running mate under duress. Furthermore, this weak means of getting a person to become a running mate, has never been the NPP’s style; it is too disgracing and must cease forthwith”, Eshun stated.
“Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia ‘is his own man’, let us allow him to select someone he has tested and finds capable of helping him lead the NPP break the eight and consequently directing the next NPP government to continue to bring the needed development for our beloved country, Ghana”, he added.
”We are humbly advising our flag-bearer, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia not to allow any individual or groups, to compel him or lure him into choosing a running mate against his actual or real choice. Allowing yourself to be manipulated in this manner has dire consequences on the party’s victory in this year’s presidential election”.
Moreover, the group, which is made up of prominent NPP members as well as regional and national executives, also issued a warning to those who would like to become Dr. Bawumia’s running mate to abstain from sponsoring certain people or groups that are inconsistent with the NPP’s way of doing things to coerce the flag-bearer into considering them.
”Some of the people whose names have popped up as being interested in being Dr. Bawumia’s running mate have been accused of sponsoring people to hold press conferences and sign petitions to forcefully cause our flag-bearer, Dr. Bawumia make them his running mate.
“This childish modus, and odd way of operating in the NPP, if true, must be condemned in no uncertain terms. Selecting a running mate is the prerogative of the flag-bearer, and under no circumstance must he or she be made to choose a running mate under duress.”
“Furthermore, this weak means of getting a person to become a running mate, has never been the NPP’s style; it is too disgracing and must cease forthwith”, the group cautioned.
The group has therefore appealed to the NPP’s flagbearer to disregard any such endorsements that might have come now, in the past, or in the future.