Political marketing strategist, Prof. Kobby Mensah, has criticised the focus on a presidential candidate’s regional background as non-strategic and lacking vision.
As the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate for election 2024 prepares to name his running mate, there have been calls for regional considerations, with many expecting him to name a candidate from the Ashanti Region, the party’s stronghold.
But Prof. Mensah is urging members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to refrain from such discussions.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, he said, “If you want to tell Ghanaians that the party is national in character, it is not by choosing a candidate. That has to be a default position about who is competent to be your leader, not where they are coming from”.
Prof. Mensah stated that if any Ashanti individual becomes a vice-presidential candidate, they inevitably assume leadership in the president’s absence and are most likely to be positioned for the next leadership role.
Also on the show, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Asah Asante echoed this sentiment, arguing that this scenario would mean yet another Ashanti leader, reinforcing the long-standing southern dominance in politics.
He suggested that in this context, Dr Bawumia’s candidacy might be perceived as mere window dressing.
“I am telling you that after this election, Bawumia cannot, unless he wins the elections and then he becomes president. He cannot win the leadership context of the NPP in the next round. He cannot, and if that happens, then it means that it was window dressing. You have not actually tackled the issue of perceived ‘Akanistic’.
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