Despite nearly a dozen men throwing in their hats to contest the 2024 Presidential primaries of the governing New Patriotic Party, the race as per experts’ view is between Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Trades and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen.
The two are expected to go head-to-head for the position with the NPP hell bent on achieving its ‘break the 8’ agenda.
The scale is fairly balanced with various polls predicting conflicting outcome of the primaries which per the party’s constitution will be done in 2024.
As the race heats up, there has been a proposal by party stalwart Nana Akomea for a partnership between Alan Kyerematen and Vice, President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Whereas himself and his ilk believe a partnership between the two represents the surest victory ticket for the NPP, others have offered dissenting views.
As the discussion continues, GhanaWeb has come up with five other persons who could partner Dr Bawumia IN THE EVENT THAT he wins the primaries.
Matthew Opoku Prempeh
The name of the Energy Minister has featured prominently as the one who could deliver the Ashanti votes for Dr Bawumia should he win the primaries and stand of the general elections.
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is regarded by pro-NPP as a potential occupant of the presidential seat and one who has the backing of the entire Ashanti Region.
His strong ties to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu arguably also places him above others in the competition.
The Member of Parliament for Manhyia Constituency is highly-held within the NPP and Ashanti Region and the vice presidential slot would be seen as the perfect preparatory ground.
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Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Prior to the 2020 election, rumors surfaced that Ursula Owusu was being groomed to replace Dr Bawumia when he moves up the ladder as the leader of the New Patriotic Party.
The Minister of Communications is rising steadily within the party and there are predictions that she could be the first female presidential candidate from the two major political parties in the country.
Aside the gender card, Ursula who is from the Eastern Region and grew up in the Greater Accra Region is seen as one who could help tilt the scale in the NPP’s favor.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is a three-time member of Parliament for Ablekuma West and a lawyer of high repute.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs is expected to draw down the curtains on his Parliamentary career in 2024.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who has been in Parliament since 1996 revealed in a Joy FM interview that he was not going to contest the polls in 2024.
Prior to that, allegations flew from two persons who belong to the Alan camp that, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was lobbying for the running mate role for Dr Bawumia.
In an interview on Neat FM, E.K Buckmann alleged that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was interested in becoming the vice to Bawumia.
Same allegations were repeated by Nana Yaw Ampofo who is a social media activist of Alan Kyerematen.
When quizzed on the issue, the Majority Leader rejected the allegations but said he would not turn down the post when offered.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is seen as an institution in Parliament and also one who fits the Ashanti criteria.
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Akoto Afriyie Osei
The Minister of Food and Agriculture’s name has only come up but as a presidential aspirant and not a running mate.
He has declared his interest in contesting the primaries but according to pollster Ben Ephson, his campaign could be a plot to destabilize Alan’s chances in the Ashanti Region.
Dr Afriyie Akoto is a dyed in the wool NPP man whose commitment and loyalty to the party cannot be questioned. If NAPO and Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu are either not interested or overlooked, he could get a shot.
Kennedy Agyapong
If Kennedy Agyapong does not make another u-turn, he would be out of Parliament in 2025.
He has on various platforms announced his decision not to contest the 2024 elections as he seeks to bow out of law-making.
Kennedy Agyapong is quite popular for his generosity as well his hard-take on political issues.
The Assin CentralMP appeals to the commoners and is also a possible vote-puller from the Central Region which is known to be a swing a region.
With his parliamentary tenure ending in 2024, he could be Bawumia’s right hand man for the general election should he win the primaries.
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