NPP race: Incumbency will not play to the advantage of Dr. Bawumia – UG lecturer

Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, a Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has explained that there is no incumbency advantage on the part of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in his bid to lead the ruling party.

Dr. Asah-Asante argued that the current sentiment within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration is against maintaining familiar faces in government, thereby undermining Bawumia's chances of remaining in power and hindering his presidential ambitions.

Speaking in an interview with TV3 on July 10, 2023, he acknowledged that even though incumbency does have its advantages and disadvantages but believed that it would not work in Dr. Bawumia's favour.

He further referenced comments made by Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, who is alleged to have previously stated that the same individuals who led the country to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot be the ones to lead the party in 2024.

“Incumbency has its own advantages and disadvantages, but what we have currently, I don’t think that incumbency will play to the advantage of Dr. Bawumia, far from it.

“Within the NPP, they don’t want to maintain the same face. That’s why Ken Agyapong said the same faces that took us to the IMF cannot be the same face to lead the party in 2024,” 3news.com quoted him to have said.

Ahead of the NPP’s November presidential primary, ten candidates including Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have been crisscrossing the country courting the support of party delegates.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as part of his campaign has promised to appoint 10 party members from each constituency into government positions when elected flagbearer and subsequently president.

Alan Kyerematen on the other hand has stated that his tenure will see all delegates of the party being placed on a monthly salary and a social security policy.

The other contenders in the race are MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Joe Ghartey, a businessman and energy expert Kwadwo Poku, a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko.

Completing the list are a former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, a former Minister of State, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.

AM/SARA

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