Veep Blacked Out

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said it will be bad campaigning and totally imprudent to promote the running mate of the party.

There have been criticisms about the visibility of the vice president, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, on the campaign trail, but Mr. Asiedu Nketia said his [Amissah-Arthur’s] time would come if he emerged the flagbearer.

Speaking to Citi FM, Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained it was a strategy by the party not to focus entirely on the vice president as it was not their style to do so.

“It is not good planning to be highlighting your vice president as it indicates shortcomings in the presidential candidate himself. Our style is to focus on hyping the president whose face would be on the ballot paper,” he said.

The General Secretary of the NDC stated: “We do not let the press concentrate on the activities of the vice president even though what he may be doing would be equally important, but the image in the public eye should be that of the president.”

“It is bad campaigning to project your vice president to the detriment of the presidential candidate,” he added.

In previous elections, the NDC launched three-prong campaign, with the presidential candidate, Prof Atta Mills and the then running mate, John Mahama and NDC founder Jerry John Rawlings leading each prong.

The decision not to include the vice president, DAILY GUIDE learnt, is because of his uninspiring nature, with Mr. Amissah-Arthur complaining about stress, earning him the nickname ‘Maabre’, to wit ‘I’m tired’.