'His persona, sacrifice for NPP makes him the best bet; not to prove we're a non-Akan party' — Nana Boakye

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted claims that it was pressured into selecting Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as its first non-Akan flagbearer for next year’s elections.

The NPP's leadership clarified that Dr. Bawumia's election was based on his qualifications and the party's strongest candidate.

Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the NPP, addressed these claims in an interview with Citi News monitored by ModernGhana News, emphasizing that the party's decision was not influenced by ethnic considerations.

He stated, "First of all, we need to understand that his persona, his ability to woo people to himself also worked." Nana Boakye added, "Over the years, he has also sacrificed a lot. He had to put aside his profession and join and be a running mate for almost 12 years before becoming the Vice President.”

“The fact that he is non-Akan, he is Muslim from the northern part of Ghana is historical, but this isn’t the first time we have had a northerner contesting,” he added.

Meanwhile, the campaign team of Dr. Bawumia is actively preparing a comprehensive plan for the Vice President to tour the country and engage with the public to convey his vision and policies for the 2024 election.

In the NPP's recent presidential primary, which took place on November 4, 2023, Dr. Bawumia secured a decisive victory over his opponents.

He garnered 118,210 votes, representing 61.47% of the total vote, while his closest rival, Kennedy Agyapong, the Assin Central MP, received 71,996 votes, constituting 37.41% of the ballots cast.

The other two contenders, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and former Mampong MP, Francis Addai-Nimoh, Dr. Afriyie Akoto received 1,459 votes (0.76%) and Addai-Nimoh gathered 731 votes (0.41%).

A total of 192,446 delegates participated in the presidential primary.