Barring any last-minute unforeseen changes, the selection of deputy candidates for the 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) elections is expected to be announced next week.
The announcement is expected to be made after the NDC flag bearer concludes his ongoing Building Ghana tour.
There is tension within the party as it remains unclear who will be the vice presidential candidate.
The names have reportedly been narrowed down by the party to three regions: Central, Eastern and Ashanti, with Professor Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Professor Julius Debra and Professor Kwame Awua-Darko representing each of the three regions. It becomes.
Jane Nana Opoku Agyemang was John Dramani Mahama’s vice-presidential candidate in the December 2020 general election, but failed to win the election. She has been criticized for not adding anything to the ticket and losing her home central region.
Respected NDC elders like Obed Asamoah are calling for her to change if the NDC wants to win the next election.
Meanwhile, her supporters say she is learning and will make amends this year if given a second chance.
Julius Debra, former chief of staff in the former John Mahama government (January 2013 to January 2017), is the next frontrunner on the NDC ticket. He is from the eastern region.
He is a close friend of John Mahama and has been lobbying officials to promote him, although the man has publicly denied any interest. Ms. Debra is competent and effective in governance and management and is considered to have the best qualities needed in a vice presidential candidate.
The astute businessman’s far-reaching influence in the country is profound and he can appeal to a wide range of voters across the country to support John Mahama’s victory.
From the Ashanti region, the name of Kwame Awua Darko has emerged very strongly for the second time since 2020.
Although he was said to be shortlisted for running mate in 2020, Mahama chose Jane Nana Opoku Agyemang.
He is a businessman and banker and the third son of the late Nana Awua Darko Ampem I, Nkosuohene of the Asante-Juaben Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region.
Mr. Kwame Awua Darko served as Managing Director of BOST and TOR under the former John Mahama administration and is credited with contributing to the transformation thereof.
Like Julius Debra, he is said to be a visionary thinker born into a family of wealthy businessmen with a history of funding the NDC.
Apart from his capabilities, his ties to Manhyia Palace as an Ashanti royal could be an advantage the NDC could exploit.
The NPP has indicated its intention to select Ashanti as its running mate, and the NDC’s choice of Ashanti, who has ties to the eastern region, could be a fighting chance to balance the vote.
Twi news
There is a belief within the NDC that the choice of Professor Nana Jane Opoku Agyemang as John Dramani Mahama’s running mate in 2020 failed to deliver victory for the NDC in the central region and the nation as a whole. This is a widely held view. .
To this end, many believers in the NDC believe that reappointing her as the party’s vice-presidential candidate will do little to add to the party’s ticket and threaten the NDC’s fortunes in the December 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections. I believe it may not bring any political benefit.
Lately, the argument that John Mahama’s running mate should be chosen from the Eastern region has dominated the NDC’s political discourse. Some members of the NDC party point out that the eastern region has a multi-ethnic mix, with only 50% of the region’s “Akans” traditionally voting for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). .
Some argue that it is strategic for the NDC to choose a running mate from the Eastern region, as the current president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who hails from the Eastern region, is no longer on the ballot paper.
In the case of Ashanti Region, NDC officials believe the time has come to bring the power struggle to the NPP stronghold by electing a candidate from the region.