NPP running mate: Chief of Staff suitable, but decision rests with flag bearer — University Don

The Director of Research and Innovation at the Kumasi Technical University (KTU), Professor Smart Sarpong, has said that the Chief of Staff , Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, will be a suitable running mate to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ticket for the 2024 election.

He said Mrs Osei- Opare’s extensive experience and strategic positioning within the political landscape made her a formidable candidate for the high office of Vice-President. Prof. Sarpong, who stated this in an interview, however said the decision for the selection of a running mate rested with the party and the flag bearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Context

Since the opposition National Democratic Congress named Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as the party’s running mate for the 2024 general election, there have been calls from certain quarters for the governing NPP to also consider a qualified woman as a running mate for the December polls.

The proponents of these calls are of the view that it would ensure inclusivity and bring women to the highest decision-making level of the country given the fact that the two parties were the front runners for  the presidency and could present the nation with its first female vice-president from 2025.

The NPP at its National Executive Committee and the National Council meeting held in Accra on December 6, last year, to deliberate on the potential running mate for the party’s flag bearer gave Dr Bawumia more time to consult broadly to come up with his running mate for the 2024 general election.

The party’s National Council, which has the power to make exceptions to the party’s rules, agreed with Dr Bawumia’s request to pick his running mate later. This means that Dr Bawumia will have more time to consider his options and pick the best person to be his running mate.

Prof. Sarpong, sharing his thoughts on the calls for a female running mate for the NPP, emphasised that Mrs Osei-Opare stood tall among all the names of the possible female running mates that had come up within the party’s circles.

He said Mrs Osei-Opare’s rise through the ranks to occupy the position as the Chief of Staff and also the first female made her suitable for the office of vice-president. He also highlighted the pivotal role she had played as the Chief of Staff in ensuring the smooth functioning of the government machinery and maintaining constant communication between the executive and the citizenry.

Age factor

Prof. Sarpong also dismissed concerns about Mrs Osei- Opare’s age hindering her eligibility as a running mate, asserting that divine intervention ultimately determined political appointments.

He underscored the importance of Mrs Osei-Opare’s potential candidacy in bolstering the electoral prospects of the governing NPP and assisting the flag bearer, Dr Bawumia, in securing victory in the 2024 elections.