GhanaWeb Feature

In the heart of Ghana's political landscape, where the battle for power is waged with fervor and passion, a quiet but consistent trend has emerged over the years.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), one of the country's major political players, has a remarkable tradition of choosing its vice presidential candidates from the northern regions of Ghana, with one notable exception in the year 1996.

As the NPP gears up to select its flagbearer, the echoes of this unique pattern are reverberating through the political landscape, provoking intrigue, analysis, and curiosity.

The NPP, a party often associated with the Akan population, primarily from the Ashanti and Eastern regions, has followed a fascinating and strategic path when it comes to selecting its vice presidential candidates. The story, however, takes a curious twist in the mid-'90s.

In the developing days of the Fourth Republic, the NPP, under the leadership of Professor Albert Adu Boahen, ventured into a different realm.

Professor Adu Boahen, a renowned scholar hailing from the Ashanti Region, challenged the status quo by choosing Alhaji Roland Issifu Alhassan, a lawyer and veteran politician from the Northern Region, as his running mate. This groundbreaking decision set a precedent that has held firm, with just one exception.

The exception? The year 1996 saw John Agyekum Kufuor leading the NPP's charge, accompanied by a unique choice for a running mate, Kow Nkensen Arkaah.

Arkaah, who served as Vice President under Jerry Rawlings, brought with him the legacy of the National Convention Party (NCP) and formed a historic alliance with the NPP, creating the "Great Alliance."

Fast forward to the dawn of a new millennium, and the NPP resumed its customary practice of choosing a running mate from the northern regions. Alhaji Aliu Mahama, an engineer and road contractor, became the second Northern candidate for the vice presidency, standing beside John Agyekum Kufuor.

The duo led the NPP to victory in both the 2000 and 2004 elections, cementing the northern connection as a formidable strategy.

In 2008, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a southerner hailing from the Eastern Region, took the helm as the NPP's flagbearer.

He broke with tradition by choosing Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia from the Northern Region as his running mate, marking a significant departure from the expected pattern.

The duo faced electoral challenges in 2008 and 2012 but remained steadfast, eventually securing victory in the 2016 elections.

This unique pattern, a deviation from the norm, leads to an intriguing question: Why the north?

For the NPP, whose core support base lies within the Akan community, the choice of a northern running mate holds strategic importance.

Ghana's electoral landscape is defined by regional dynamics, and the NPP's stronghold in the Ashanti Region is matched by the Volta Region's allegiance to the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Therefore, selecting a running mate from the Volta Region, which is electorally hostile to the NPP, may not yield significant gains.

The compromise, it seems, is to turn to the other major constituency—the north—a regional bloc rather than a specific ethnic group. Over time, the north has emerged as a reliable supplier of vice presidential candidates for both the NDC and the NPP. It offers a strategic bridge between the Akan-dominated south and the volatile Volta Region, balancing the party's ticket with regional diversity.

As the NPP prepares to elect its next flagbearer on November 4, the resonance of this unique northern connection is impossible to ignore as a question arises as to who becomes the running mate if the party elects Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is from the north, is made the flagbearer of the party.

Kennedy Agyapong is among the contenders, facing competition from prominent figures like Vice President Mahumudu Bawumia, former Minister for Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai Nimo.


Author:Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese