Opinions of Friday, 19 July 2024
Columnist: Dr. John-Baptist Naah
The Central Region has benefited considerably from the choice of a running mate (RM) from the NDC Party, with the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills becoming the 3rd President of the 4th Republic.
As the home Region of the outdoor RM to former President John Dramani
Mahama, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has unquestionably made the people of the Central Region proud.
In the 2020 general elections, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang partnered with former President Mahama on the NDC presidential ticket, but that was unsuccessful. It turned out that former President Mahama lost to the current President in the Central Region, although there was an increase in parliamentary seats for the NDC in the region.
For instance, the presidential results in 2020 showed that John Dramani Mahama garnered 524,038 votes (45.87%) while Nana Akufo-Addo got 602,111 votes (52.71%). The Central Region can absolutely do much better than this performance for the NDC in the upcoming general elections!
With her retention as the RM to partner with President Mahama again, coupled with her sterling academic and personal qualities, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang is set to make history as the first female Vice President of Ghana.
The aim of ensuring that Prof. Opoku-Agyemang becomes the next Vice President is attainable when the Central Region, which is a swing region, significantly contributes to making John Dramani Mahama President again in 2025.
The people of the Central Region should not fail Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang again in the upcoming 2024 general elections. There must be an emphatic victory for both the presidential and parliamentary candidates of the NDC in the Central Region this time around.
The suitability and capability of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang as the next Vice President of Ghana are exemplified in her acceptance speech delivered at the USPA Campus on April 25, 2024.
Not only has Prof. Opoku-Agyemang sounded ‘Vice- Presidential’ in her outdoor speech, but she has also brought vitality, integrity, inclusivity, and forward-lookingness to our current political discourse in Ghana with her captivating and mesmerizing feminine touch. Her acceptance speech was also interspersed with hope for the youth, gender-centred policies, and a clarion call to put a stop to the seeming state capture and disrespect to ordinary citizens we witness now.
The retention of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang as the RM to President Mahama of the largest opposition party in Ghana (NDC) is no mean achievement and thus historic in nature. This is also a great moment for the female voters in Ghana to rally behind Prof. Opoku-Agyemang and deliver it to the NDC on December 7, 2024.
The presidential ticket of John Dramani Mahama & Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang (John & Jane) of the NDC is highly promising and poised to hit the ground running and reverse the declining fortunes of our nation under this disappointing and insensitive Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime.
The forward-looking alternative policies of the NDC, coupled with the tested and experienced John & Jane ticket, are what Ghana badly needs now.
To conclude, it is not only the people of the Central Region who should massively back the John & Jane Presidential ticket, but also women and the youth should not let down Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang in the 2024 general election. The John & Jane Presidential ticket is the real deal for Ghana to recover from the ailing economy and worsening living conditions.