As the jostling for the slot to partner Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 general elections intensifies, a political and social analyst, Modestus Archer has suggested that the standard bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) may want to consider a running mate from the Western, Central or Eastern Region to change the dynamics a bit and to increase his chances.

In an interview to elicit his views on the chances of Dr. Bawumia going into the 2024 general elections, Mr. Modestus stated that it’s quite an uphill task for the sitting Vice President, especially as the Head of the Economic Management Team(EMT), given the current state of the economy.

He adds that if he can choose a dynamic, young, intelligent, and affable partner from any of the three regions mentioned above, it may have the propensity to increase his chances.

He said it’s quite obvious that the choice of a running mate at this time within the NPP is highly tilted towards someone of Ashanti extraction but a smart analysis of the dynamics in the Ashanti Region indicates that Ashantis don’t necessarily vote NPP because one of their own is leading the party or is the running mate.

“They will definitely vote NPP regardless of where whoever is democratically elected to lead them comes from. There is empirical evidence to support this, like it happened in their recent Special Delegates conference where the most popular politician in the Ashanti Region in the name of Alan Kyeremanten was ‘rejected’ by the Ashantis’ with their overwhelming support going for a Northerner (Dr. Bawumia)”, he explained.

“In fact, this is not the first time this has happened, the Ashantis voted massively for Dr. Hilla Liman and did the same for President Akufo-Addo from the Eastern region when Alan contested him twice so the choice of running mate from the Ashanti Region will not sway much”, he added.

Asked about his choice of possible or likely candidate from the regions he has chosen for Dr. Bawumia’s consideration, the political analyst stated that there are a few of them like Kennedy Agyapong who gave him a run for his money in their primaries.

"He is popular, politically astute and he has the base of the grassroots and he is from the Central Region", he said.

He said Asamoah Boateng from the Central Region could also do the trick because he has been around for a long time and understands the central regional politics.

The Political Analyst stated that “another fine gentleman who could make a right fix for a regional balance is Hon. George Mireku Duker from the Western Region. His father also comes from the Central Region and he is the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, such a cool affable, and intelligent man. He once served as a constituency secretary of Mfantsiman too."

“Bryan Acheampong from the Eastern region could also equally complement Dr. Bawumia’s ticket. He is the MP for Abetifi constituency and Minister for Food and Agriculture with huge investments in the eastern region, employing several hundreds of workers”, he said.

“Also the ‘tussle’ between Hon. Mathew Opoku Prempeh and the Minister for Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum both from the Ashanti region and angling for the same slot may bring discord within their ranges if one is picked out of the two”, Mr. Modestus opined.