Politics of Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Running mate selection: NPP making a mockery of themselves – Asiedu Nketia

NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia play videoNDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia

Chief Scribe of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the New Patriotic Party is making a mockery of itself by calling on former president John Mahama to name his running mate for the 2020 presidential elections.

“I heard Buabeng Asamoah saying President Mahama should concentrate on selecting a running mate and I said why do they want to make a mockery of themselves. You have not selected a flagbearer and you are asking someone who has selected a flagbearer to select a running mate.”

According to Asiedu Nketia, the NDC being the only party that has elected a flagbearer for the 2020 general elections shows its preparedness ahead of the elections.

When it was pointed out to him that the NPP has a sitting president, Asiedu Nketia replied that the president is not automatically a flagbearer, insisting that the NPP should consider sorting that out before calling on his party to name a running mate since his party is ahead of the NPP.

“Who says the president is the flagbearer of NPP, he is not. We are running a rule of law, it is not about a rule of persons. The NPP constitution requires that they should go through the processes of electing a flagbearer, they haven’t initiated that process and they are asking us when we are selecting our running mate.”

Speaking on the specific timeline outlined by the NDC to name a running mate, he said the party has until a day before filing their nomination forms adding that the party has some processes to complete.

It was also pointed out to him that the party needs to sell their running mate, hence the need to select one in time. But responding to that Mr Asiedu Nketia insisted that his party is ahead of other parties in their preparations for the 2020 elections.

“We are ahead of all the other parties so nobody should be worried and be asking, much less those who have not selected their flagbearer. It doesn’t lie in their mouth to be asking us when we will be selecting our running mate. At least we are ahead of them.”