Politics of Tuesday, 11 April 2023

Source: Richard Asamoah, Contributor

Let Bawumia go unopposed - Volta NPP executives to leaders

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia

Constituency and polling station executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region, have reached categorical resolution, that the party’s future lies with the leadership of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

Consequently, they have made the clarion call on the party to affirm Dr. Bawumia as successor to President Akufo-Addo as a matter of internal succession plan.

“Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is naturally qualified to lead next. It is our call that the party allow him to go unopposed,” said a constituency executive, who thronged by the rest of the executives, spoke to journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with the Tema East Chairman of the NPP, Nene Ofoe TeyeChu Agbadiagba IV

The executive who spoke on behalf of his colleagues spoke to the press on condition of anonymity as it is against party law to take sides in the party’s upcoming presidential primary ahead of official campaigning.

The meeting had been held at Anloga, the traditional capital of Anlo land. Nene Ofoe TeyeChu Agbadiagba had convened the meeting as part of a working visit to the Volta Region.

He had used the visit to also present an analysis of the leadership puzzle currently facing the NPP, presenting to the people, the pros and the cons of whatever choice the party makes for leader after president Akufo-Addo.

Among others he had pointed out that Dr. Bawumia’s northern extraction will serve to discredit the NDC’s longstanding claim that the NPP is an Akan-centric party.

This same Northern extraction will serve to weaken the NDC’s longstanding grip on Northern electorates because Northerners will be presented with the opportunity to make one of their own President on the NPP’s ticket.

“But if we do not elect Vice President Bawumia leader, then we are likely to lose northern trust for a long time,” Nene Ofoe TeyeChu Agbadiagba would later explain in an interview.

However, what really appeared to have swayed the people were revelations that throughout constituencies in the country, Vice President Bawumia has the landslide support so that if the vote were held today, he would win more than 80 percent of the votes.

“With what we have on our hand, our job is cut out for us; elect Vice President Bawumia as flagbearer for 2024 and go on to break the 8,” said a constituency executive who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

He adds, “that is what we should do.”

Before the meeting would end, the Volta executives had asked Nene Ofoe TeyeChu Agbadiagba to urge the national leadership in Accra to make Dr. Bawumia go unopposed so that no money is wasted since the grounds are just right for him.

However, Nene Ofoe TeyeChu Agbadiagba told them he could not do that because the party’s constitution would not permit it, pointing out it is the same for them as party executives. However he said they could come together as a bloc and issue a press statement which they said they would do.