(3 Minutes Read)
The selection of the running mate by Bawumia is in tandem with the unwritten tradition the country follows. While Bawumia is a Muslim, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a lawmaker and doctor, is a Christian from the Asante region. This choice follows a tradition to promote unity and attract a broader voter base
As Ghana will be going to polls in the coming December, the political landscape is getting activated. Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has declared his intention to contest for the tip post. He has chosen the current energy minister as his running mate. Incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo has completed his term of office of eight years and will leave office in January 2025.
The selection of the running mate by Bawumia is in tandem with the unwritten tradition the country follows. While Bawumia is a Muslim, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a lawmaker and doctor, is a Christian from the Asante region. This choice follows a tradition to promote unity and attract a broader voter base.
Bawumia, a 61-year-old economist and former central banker was named the NPP’s presidential candidate last November. He will face former President John Dramani Mahama, who is attempting to return to office. Both Mahama and Bawumia are from northern Ghana, a region with a Muslim majority that is less economically developed than the southern parts of the country.
Prempeh, 56, served as education minister from 2017 to 2020. He supervised President Akufo-Addo’s free senior high school policy, which faced criticism for poor execution. He has been a lawmaker since 2008 and is a royal from the Asante tribe. In January 2021, he became the energy minister, dealing with an ongoing energy crisis, an issue the NPP had criticized Mahama’s party for failing to resolve.
Bawumia is the first Muslim to lead a major party in Ghana since 1992 and the first non-Akan to lead the NPP. By choosing Prempeh, he aims to strengthen the NPP’s support in the Asante region, where there have been concerns about limited opportunities for party members.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/vivo-energy-of-ghana-appoints-jean-michel-arlandis-as-its-new-md/
Mahama, in his third attempt at the presidency, has kept Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former education minister and literature professor from central Ghana, as his running mate.
