It has come to our attention that some leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are feeling uneasy that the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has still not openly declared his intention to contest the forthcoming leadership race of the Party. This concern has been expressed recently in various newspaper publications and the electronic media.

Whereas these fears may stem from a genuine concern for the Veep and/or the Party, we think that the Vice President must not be put under any form of pressure into making a hasty decision or mistiming his declaration to lead the NPP to victory in 2008. The Vice President’s position, we believe, is different from that of the other aspirants and showing his interest in the leadership race may require a lot more planning and timing.

We are of the opinion that the Vice President is acting sportingly, with dignity and decorum, by following procedure and protocol and not jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of it. The Veep as we all know is extremely busy helping the President run the country and on countless occasions not as the number two man, but the main person in charge given the number of times the President has been out of the country since January 2001.

We believe that as a Party, the NPP has a lot of quality amongst its aspirants, but without question the Vice President is the ultimate package out there combining experience at the highest level, competence, vision, the coolness of head and the wherewithal needed to hold the position of President, and that at the right time he will throw his hat in the ring.

Let us be patient and not rush the Veep. He will surely come forth, cometh the hour.

SOURCE: The London Group (ALIU FOR PRESIDENT)

E-mail: thelondongroup@sky.com