Professor Alidu Seidu, the Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana, has urged former President John Dramani Mahama to select an Akan as his running mate for the 2024 elections.
Professor Seidu cited what he termed as the influential Akan vote and its potential to contribute to the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) success in the 2024 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM on December 14, 2023, he pointed out that while the Volta, Oti and the northern regions have traditionally been strongholds for the NDC, relying solely on these votes might pose challenges in securing victory.
“So, I think a lot of people are calling for him to look beyond the Volta region and go to maybe an Akan-dominated region.
“The running mate should be an Akan either from the Ashanti region or any of the Akan-speaking regions…because of the dominance of the Akan votes and the significant contribution the Akan vote can make to the NDC's victory in the 2024 election,” my joyonline.com quoted him to have said.
Dr. Seidu stressed the need to select a running mate with the potential to continue in leadership, considering that Mahama would have only one term left if elected.
His recommendation comes amid an anxious wait for Mahama to announce his running mate.
John Mahama previously served as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016, before losing to Akufo-Addo in the 2016 presidential election.
He unsuccessfully ran against Akufo-Addo again in the 2020 election; however, he has been reelected as the flagbearer of the NDC to lead the party into the upcoming 2024 general elections.
He has expressed confidence that he can win in 2024 and bring about the changes he believes the country needs.
While Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang partnered with Mahama in the 2020 elections, there are speculations about whether she will be retained or if a new face will be introduced as the running mate.
AM/SARA
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Professor Alidu Seidu