Bawumia running mate: There are too many interests, causing ‘struggling’ Bawumia to delay naming his running mate — Prof. Kobby Mensah

Political marketing expert, Professor Kobby Mensah, has highlighted the challenges faced by New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in naming his running mate for the upcoming 2024 election.

In an interview on Radio Gold, Professor Mensah indicated that Dr. Bawumia is likely to select the Minister for Energy and Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), as his running mate, barring any last-minute changes.

Professor Mensah explained that the delay in announcing NAPO as the running mate is due to the interests of prominent figures within the NPP, who have various preferences regarding the selection.

"Barring any last-minute hitches, almost everybody in this country, especially people who are political watchers, have tipped NAPO to be the running mate.

“I think the sticking point, or perhaps the reason why it is taking too long, is because there were too many interests; obviously, some key figureheads had their preferences, and so the flagbearer of the NPP was struggling to name his running mate," he said.

He also noted that the teams of Dr. Bawumia and Dr. Opoku Prempeh are currently working on establishing a strong working relationship, emphasizing the importance of a harmonious relationship given their differing personalities.

"Another sticking point is also the working relationship... no one would have to argue that NAPO is very ambitious; he has a lot of drive - he is a very, very actionable person. Now, there is a huge contrast between him and the flagbearer (Dr. Bawumia).

"So, if you want to work as head of the ticket and running mate, you need a very solid strategy in terms of how you are going to work with the two," he explained.

Listen to Prof. Kobby Mensah in the video below ( start at 15:00):