Former President John Mahama is set to select a running mate for the 2020 elections early next year and numerous names have come up. Among them include Dr. Johnson Asiama, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, Hannah Tetteh, Marrietta Brew Appiah Oppong, Prof. Jane Naana O. Agyemang, the youngest of the Ahwoi brothers among others.

There have been speculations and unconfirmed rumours about the person he is likely to select, but this time around, we are looking at those Mahama is not likely to select.

Last year, MyNewsGh.com published a list of potential running mates for Mahama which he directly replied to.

While it is not clear as yet, who Mahama will select for his running mate, we have compiled a list of names who will NOT be selected to partner John Mahama based on incontrovertible inside information and political common sense. These names include Kwabena Duffour whose crime, insiders say, is that he bankrolled NPP campaign in 2016 and is out of touch with the party and some other key people who generated negative headlines against Mahama in the NDC internal contest. Duffour eagerly wants the running mate as a consolation from the seizure of his bank and his assets. Mahama will swerve him.

Here is the full list:

Asiedu Nketia

The first on the list is current NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Kwadwo Nketia popularly known as General Mosquito. General Mosquito has carved a niche for himself as NDC’s institutional memory, and he is loved generally by members of the NDC, but as their General Secretary, not as Mahama’s Running Mate. He has been NDC scribe since 2005 when he was first elected. Asiedu Nketia’s running mate ambition is reportedly being fueled strongly by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu behind the scenes.

Insiders tell MyNewsGH.com Mosquito also has the backing of other key players in parliament. He himself was Member of Parliament for the Wenchi West constituency for 12 years. Although he is very qualified and has huge experience, insiders, however, told MyNewsGH.com that Asiedu Nketia is “simply wasting his time” because he is generally seen as an internal party leader with comical traits and unsuitable for a VP brand as at now. He is busily on talk shows marketing himself to catch Mahama’s eye. This won’t change the fact that he will not be selected even if he appears on CNN and Al-Jazeera. Mosquito could be rebranding himself for a future agenda.

Alex Mould

Many will be shocked his name appeared here. Yes, Alexander Kofi Mensah Mould. He is the ‘loudest’ of all the potential Vice Presidential hopefuls of the NDC. He has rebranded himself since the NDC lost power and he is literally “all over the place” commenting on almost every issue in the country’s energy and finance sectors. His trump card is his Ashanti region origins, but it won’t wash as Mahama is looking at other “options” should he decide to go with Ashanti Region.

Alex Mould has over 30 years of international energy and banking experience and is a former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

Insiders with deep knowledge of happenings near Mahama and the Ahwois’ inner circle told MyNewsGH.com Alex is “wasting his time”. He was advised early last year to start preparing to be number two to Mahama by media engagements and articles, which he has done so well. But the dynamics have changed, new information about him has also come forth and he is not under any serious consideration, MyNewsGH.com was informed. His best bet will be a ministerial appointment.

Several unemployed but qualified NDC footsoldiers reportedly hold personal grudges against Alex Mould (and many other NDC era appointees) for not creating opportunities to absorb them when he was head of NPA and GNPC.

Seth Terkper

Seth Emmanuel Terkper is the last person Ghanaians should worry about when it comes to who to select as Mahama’s running mate. In fact, should Mahama select him, NDC members themselves will vote against Mahama or abstain from voting at all. He is an action-oriented technocrat trained in Harvard with wide experience in management of an economy. He obtained his first degree in B.Comm from the UCC in Ghana. He is also a Chartered Accountant who holds a MPA degree from the Kennedy School, Harvard University. But he is seen as the reason for freeze on public sector employment and other unpopular Mahama era economic policies. Seth Terkper is not under consideration. a Chartered Accountant and the former Minister for Finance and Economic Planning of Ghana. Seth Terkper was born in Somanya in the Eastern Region of Ghana, where he started his Elementary School education in the Presby cluster of schools.

Bernard Avle

Yes, Bernard Avle of Citi FM/ Citi TV. Although he is not a member of the NDC or any other political party for that matter, his name has come up as someone who can add credibility to the Mahama ticket, not only because he hails from Volta Region, but also because he has extensive knowledge in Economics and Development Finance. Bernard is not likely to accept the invitation.

Joshua Alabi, Goosie Tanoh, Spio Grabrah, Sylvester Mensah

The reason why these four men are lumped together is because they all contested John Mahama in the NDC Presidential Primaries and said negative things about him. Although Mahama is not vindictive and holds nothing against them, insiders say, originally, none of them would have been under consideration although they uniquely qualify. Someone like Sly Mensah or Joshua Alabi would have brought strength to the ticket.

Haruna Iddrisu

The charismatic minority leader is reportedly behind Asiedu Nketia’s doomed ambition to be running mate in 2020. He himself is not under consideration because he and John Mahama hail from the North. Haruna is believed to be biding his time to strike for the top job at the right time, maybe 2024 or 2028, but definitely not 2020. Maybe Asiedu Nketia is being prepared to run with him.


Rejoinder: Dr. Kwabena Duffour has vehemently denied bankrolling the 2016 election campaign of incumbent New Patriotic Party(NPP) government. In a letter copied to www.ghanaweb.com, the founder of the defunct Unibank described the statement in the story originally published by mynewsgh.com as "a figment of the writer's imagination".