Opinion sampling by ?The Chronicle? newspaper within the top hierarchy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the nomination of the presidential running mate of Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, showed a preference for a northerner.

The Chronicle?s earlier investigations revealed a lot of baffling questions as to whether to swallow the bait of a Christian-Moslem, Southerner/ Northerner partnership, which was successfully adopted by the rival-NPP.

Views from the Zongo communities, where the party enjoys a lot of support, indicated that a northern Moslem running mate would help the NDC regain power.

Die-hard supporters of the party in certain Zongo communities that The Chronicle interacted with prevailed upon the flag bearer to take into account the party?s popularity in the Zongo Communities nation-wide in choosing his running mate.

?It would be suicidal for Prof Mills to close his eyes on the Zongos who are precisely the majority in the NDC and go ahead and nominate another person. We want Prof Mills to uphold the leadership drive of Moslem northerners,? one supporter said.

According to them the nomination of a Zongo personality, Alhaji Aliu Mahama by the then candidate J.A. Kufuor as running mate helped in no small measure in ensuring victory for the NPP in the last elections.

Some leading members of the NDC in the Zongos dismissed claims that Martin Amidu, a non- Moslem northerner who partnered Prof Mills in 2000, polled significant votes.

?The picking of Martin Amidu did not help. We acknowledge his caliber and reputation but we want to put on record that he did not bring the votes for us. That is all that we are saying. We want Prof Mills to listen to us and carefully study the terrain and come out with a Moslem Northerner,? expressed one Zongo leader.

The campaign manager of the flag bearer and Greater Accra Regional chairman of the party, Joshua Alabi, discounted tribe and religion as factors for choosing the running mate. ?To me I don?t think that religion and ethnicity are factors to be considered in nominating a running mate.

What matters is competence, leadership drive and the chemistry between the flag bearer and the person,? he said. Three names that are currently in the frontline for selection as running mate are, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, and Minority Spokesman on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, John Dramani Mahama, MP for Bole-Bamboi and Party Communications Director and ex-National Deputy Treasurer, Alhaji Baba Camara.