The race for the 2024 presidential flagbearership position looks far away but political jostling has started in the two main political parties, the governing New Patriotic Party, NPP, and the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC.
With respect to the NPP, recent friction has been generated especially over the preferred regional origins of the 2024 candidate, a development which comes on the back of a party caution against ‘premature campaigns’.
In the main opposition NDC, there is talk of whether John Dramani Mahama should be allowed a fourth shot at the presidency come 2024 after winning his first in 2012 and losing twice in 2016 and 2020 to incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
An Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) report earlier this year said the NDC stood a good chance of reclaiming power in 2024 but that it must change its flagbearer, contrary to opinions that John Mahama remained the most marketed candidate for the NDC.
Amid the jostling, different pairings for presidential and vice-presidential tickets have been published by the media with different permutations put on each.
One such analysis was on Tuesday, April 6 edition of Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana programme where show host Paul Adom-Otchere presented a list of possible pairings for the NDC going into the 2024 elections.
Adom-Otchere drew a trend of how the NDC has since 1992 had a native of the Central Region on the ticket from Kow Nkensen Arkaah in 1992 through to Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang in 2020.
“Look at it this way, the NDC since Rawlings has never had a Voltarian on the ticket. I am saying this to give you the next stanza of the potential NDC tickets that we could have for the 2024 elections,” the host observed.
The list of 10 potential pairings has the presidential candidate (first) followed by the running mate:
Kwesi Botchwey and Haruna Iddrisu
Augustus Goosie Tanoh and Alban Bagbin
Alban Bagbin and Goosie Tanoh
John Dramani Mahama and Johnson Asiedu Nketia
Kwabena Duffuor and Haruna Iddrisu
Kwabena Duffuor and Mohammed Ibn Chambas
Mohammed Ibn Chambas and Goosie Tanoh
Haruna Iddrisu and Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings
Alban Bagbin and Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings
Kwabena Duffuor and Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings
Adom-Otchere, however, admits that the former president remains the most marketed candidate for the part as of now describing him as a de facto leader and flagbearer with a lot of weight.
“John Dramani Mahama is the de facto leader of the NDC right now. He is also the de facto flagbearer of the NDC.
“Because in terms of width, breadth, branding, switch. Height, everything, resources. John Dramani Mahama still stands tall within the NDC,” he admitted.
Collage (L - R) of John Mahama, Asiedu Nketia, Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings and Haruna Iddrisu