Oheneba Boamah Bennie on Thursday threw his support behind the Vice President and flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, saying he remains the best choice as presidential candidate for the governing New Patriotic Party, (NPP), for the 2024 presidential election.
For the Dwaboase host, the Minister for Trades and Industry,Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, is seeing and thinking himself as the heir to lead the party.
According to him, the founders of the NPP tradition were not only Akans, stressing that the pillars of the party were erected on Danquah-Dombo, and Busia, hence calling the NPP an Akan party is wrong and must not be encouraged.
The dilemma facing the NPP as it prepares to elect a new flagbearer ahead of the 2024 General Election is who to vote to lead the party without deepening the cracks in the party.
The present debate within the party is centered around the need to break the Akan domination by giving an opportunity to a candidate from another ethnic group to lead the party, which favours Vice President Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia.
While supporters of Vice President Bawumia are concerned about dismissing the decades-old impression that the NPP does not accommodate candidates from minority ethnic groups other than Akans. Others hold the view that since Alan Kyerematen became the second candidate with the highest votes when Nana Akufo-Addo was elected to lead the party ahead of the 2008 polls, he is the right person to take over the party after President Akufo-Addo.
But Oheneba argues that former President J.A Kufuor who governed between January 2001 to January 2009 was from the Busia faction and President Akufo-Addo is from the Danquah side hence it is time for the descendants of Dombo to lead the party.
“It is time for the Dombo faction to take over the affairs of the party. You people are saying NPP is an Akan party. Who said so? The party is a Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition but you guys want Alan to lead the party when it is time for the descendants of Dombo to take over,” he stated.
He continued, “No Bawumia, no NPP because when you sideline him (Bawumia) then the party will be divided. If you [NPP delegates] don’t vote for him, then the party will see deeper cracks.”
Bawumia has been touted as the best candidate for the NPP by some political analysts due to the dexterity he showcased prior to 2016 elections.
His nationwide economic lectures were key in winning the 2016 elections for the NPP, having nicknamed then-president John Mahama as “incompetent” which was later adopted by the NPP communication team across the country.
His achievements as a Vice President have seen a wide digitization drive which has seen tremendous results in government institutions in the country.
His digitization drive has been able to help the government seal most loopholes in the country’s revenue generation so far.
It is for this reason that, although the NPP has not opened nominations for presidential candidate aspirants, there have been series of social media groups advocating Bawumia is elected the party’s flagbearer.
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