…cites family, personal reasons

Reports reaching This DAY indicates that Hon. John Mahama, MP for Bole-Bamboi, may not be Atta-Mills’ Running Mate after all in the 2008 Presidential elections. This follows what is seen as the affable MP’s reluctance in accepting the offer allegedly of being Running-Mate made to him by Atta Mills.

According to very reliable sources, John Mahama cited personal and family reasons as being the reasons why he cannot accept the offer to be Atta-Mills’ Running-Mate in next year’s Presidential election.

The Bole-Bamboi MP has been widely tipped by many to partner Atta-Mills to wrestle power from the NPP due to the vast amount of goodwill he enjoys among Ghanaians from both sides of the political divide.

He is seen as the right man to partner Atta-Mills because he is young, appeals to floating voters and is this capable of adding extra votes to what Atta-Mills will garner.

John Mahama, it is learnt, is the preferred choice of Atta-Mills and several leading members of the party, including party founder, Jerry Rawlings. The reluctance of the MP to accept the Running-Mate slot is said to have come as a surprise to many of the leading members.

However, snippets of information gathered by THIS DAY indicates that the flagbearer of the Party, Atta-Mills, is unaffected by John Mahama’s reluctance and has quickly shifted his attention to three other names, one of which is likely to be his Running-Mate for the 2008 election.

The three are Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, his Running Mate in the 2004 elections, Hon. Alban Sumanu Bagbin, the Minority Leader in Parliament and Gilbert Iddi, a former Minister in the NDC government.

According to the very reliable source, Atta-Mills will soon name one of these men as his Running-Mate to kick-start his campaign to win the 2008 Presidential elections.

Many in the hierarchy of the party THIS DAY talked to believe that there may be other reasons other than the “family or personal reasons” John Mahama cited for his reluctance in accepting Running-Mate to Atta-Mills.