In a few months to come, the respected delegates of the New Patriotic Party shall decide the holder of the flag of the party for the 2024 presidential elections. Some of far, over 5 great personalities of the party have been noted to be lacing their boots to battle for the flagbearer position.

Even though the party is yet to officially lift the ban and open nominations for the race, the actions, inactions, and utterances of people closer to the would-be aspirants and the would-be aspirants themselves reveal their intention with regard to the flagbearership race.

In no particular order, the following great personalities of the party have been noted to contest in the presidential primaries race of the NPP should the ban be lifted and nominations opened for the race: Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, the current Vice president of Ghana, Kennedy Agyepong, the Member of Parliament for the Assin Central constituency, Dr. Akoto Afriyie, the minister of agriculture, Boakye Agyarko, former energy minister, Joe Ghartey, the Member of Parliament for the Essikado/ Ketan constituency and Kwadwo Alan Kyeremanten, trade and industry minister.

From the emerging names interested in vying for the flagbearership of the NPP, it is abundantly clear that the Vice president is the only Muslim and one from the northern part of Ghana. The rest are all from the Southern part of Ghana and also members of the largest ethnic group in Ghana, that is the Akans.

In contributing to the discussions, many faithful of the party has stated that the impending presidential primary is an opportune time for the party to profoundly discredit the widely accepted notion in the country that the NPP per its history, practices, form, and structure is hostile to tribes other than Akans, more especially those of the northern extraction and Islam.

Those with such thinking have pressed home the point that voting for the Vice President to lead the NPP as its flagbearer for 2024 would permanently dispel the erroneous belief of the NPP being anti-northern and anti-Islam inclined and that the NPP only uses Northerners and Muslims to achieve a purpose and finally dumps them.

The proponents of the candidature of the Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia have always shouted " it is time for DOMBO" to depict that this is the perfect time for a Northerner to represent the party as its flagbearer.

Per their argument, Professor Adu Boahen and former president John Agyekum Kuffuor's victory in the NPP presidential primaries represented the Busia bloc in the history of the party and the win of president Akuffo Addo stands for the Danquah bloc of the history of the party and that of the Vice President will stand in for the Dombo bloc of the history of the party and that the rejection of him as done to Alhaji Yakubu Malik in 1994 and Alhaji Aliu Mahama in 2007 will go a long way to confirm the notion of the adversaries of the party that the party hates Northerners and Muslims.

There abound statements from high-profile politicians especially and political scientists and commentators to this effect. The one that easily comes to the head of many is the statement made by former president Mahama at Bolgatanga in the heat of the 2020 presidential election that Bawumia will never be allowed to lead the NPP as its flagbearer should he avail himself for the race because the NPP by its history and practices will never allow anybody except an Akan to lead the party as its flagbearer.

From all indications, the message of the proponents of the candidature of Dr. Alhaji Bawumia seems to be catching the attention of many delegates, especially those who wish well for the success and forward match of the party and do not have some personal interest in the party to satisfy.

This has pricked some of the would-be candidates and their supporters who are working their fingers to the bone to incite the Akans in NPP against the Vice President's candidature and have labeled the team of the Vice President as engaging in tribal politics. Some have even questioned the population of Northerners and Muslims in the country and warned team Bawumia to desist from campaigning along that line.

The action of such aspirants and their supporters keep surprising many who keep asking whether the NPP is trying to run away from its own shadow. Is it not the NPP that keeps touting itself as the only political party in the fourth republican dispensation that has always selected a Northerner and a Muslim as its running mate?

Is it not common knowledge that the consistency of the NPP in choosing a Northerner and a Muslim as its running mate is a vote-catching strategy to catch the votes of Northerners and Muslims who seem not to be in bed with the Danquah- Dombo- Busia political tradition even before the fourth republic.

In all the presidential elections held in the fourth republic except that of 1996 that Northerners were nominated as running mates, in every political rally held by the NPP in the Northern part of Ghana or Zongo communities or a visit by leaders of the NPP to these areas, the message has always been centrally centered on the running mate of the NPP being a Northerner and a Muslim, hence their( Northerners and Muslims) inclusion in the governance structure should power be won by the NPP in those elections?

On records, former president Kuffuor and president Akuffo Addo at the time they were presidential candidates of the NPP at their respective times are noted to have stated in the years 2000 and 2016 that the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Bible are moving straight to the Osu Castle and Jubilee House respectively should the NPP win the 2000 election and 2016 election.

This metaphorically means they (former president Kufuor and president Nana) represented Southerners and Christian folk in Ghana and Alhaji Aliu Mahama and Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia represented Northerners and Muslims in Ghana. In all these happenings, every member of the NPP was happy with the message and trumpeted it to Ghanaians.

On radio and television stations and various media platforms and in several sitting places, members of the NPP have always cited the nomination of Northerners and Muslims as running mates to NPP presidential flagbearers to show the love and reverence the NPP has for Northerners and Muslims.

It is quite surprising to have the same people vehemently kicking against the message of presenting a Northerner as the flagbearer to deflate the propaganda of the haters of the party that it does not give equal opportunities to all members but is discriminative on the lines of religion, tribe and geographical location?

Another fervent attempt by opposers of the candidature of the Vice President to incite the Akans in the NPP against him is the allegation that he (Dr. Bawumia) has parked his office with Northerners especially members of his tribe, the Mamprusis to the neglect of other tribes, especially the Akans.

This flies in the face of the truth and remains a figment of their imagination. The list below, in no particular order, are Akans directly working with the Vice President in his office:

1. Augustine Blay – Secretary to the Vice President
2. Ms. Elizabeth Utuka – Executive Assistant to the Vice President
3. Prof. Joe Amoako-Tuffour – Secretary/Member of the Economic Management Team
4. Prof Kwaku Appiah-Adu – Head, Delivery Unit
5. Gideon Boako -Technical Economic Adviser and Spokesperson
6. Mr. Edward Owirodu Appiah - Director, Liaison
7. Alhaji Ismaela Ibrahim – Director, Operations
8. Nana Enoch Mensah – Director, Protocol
9. Frank Agyei-Twum – Director, Communications

11. Mr. Isaac Botchway – Head, of Security
12. Major Samuel Owusu-Kwakye – Head, Transport
13. Mr. Evron Rothschild Hughes – Technical Economic Adviser

16. Samuel K Frimpong - Technical Economic Adviser
17. Krobea Kwabena Asante – Deputy Director, Communications
19. Emmanuel Nana Yaw Mensah – Chief Driver
20. Mr. Keck Osei – Director, Administration
21. Ms. Lovia Bamfo – Deputy Director, Administration

24. Dr. Martin Adu-Adadey - Medical Officer

In all this, what is soothing to the heart and sounds music to the ears of those who mean well for the party going into the 2024 election is the objection and rejection by the Akans in the NPP of the message of those trying to incite them against the Vice President.

Rather, it is most of them (Akans)that are even calling for the candidature of the Vice president because of his competence and struggle for the party in the days of opposition and to permanently remove from the party the tag that it is anti- northern.