NDC Must Consider Dr. Valarie Sawyerr as Running Mate For2020

With the overwhelming endorsement of JDM by NDC delegates on February 23, 2019, for him to lead the party into the 2020 elections, there is no doubt that all ranks and file of NDC party membership would be clamouring for their preferred person to be selected as the running mate. Such a move is not a bad action in body politic and that adds colour to the beauty of democracy.

The journey back to the Flagstaff House by the National Democratic Congress has begun with ex-President Mahama’s election as the flagbearer for the party, and it is imperative that the National Executive Committee (NEC), the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) and Council of Elders take into consideration certain factors in the selection of JDM’s running mate.

I would like to reiterate that apart from the commitment to the party, the NDC must take ethnic and gender factors into consideration in the selection of the running mate, and I am absolutely convinced that Dr. Valarie Sawyerr is the right person to fit into both the ethnic and gender parameters. As for commitment to the party, she has proven that beyond expectations.

Some people are advocating that one of the candidates who contested the flagbearership with ex-President Mahama be considered as the running mate with Professor Joshua Alabi being the highly tipped candidate. Apart from Prof. Alabi, many other names are popping up. This is a democracy and everyone has the right to make their opinion known.

For me, I believe that Dr.Valarie Sawyerr is the best choice, and I want to put forward my reasons with the two main factors to buttress my point on why she perfectly qualifies to be the NDC Vice Presidential Candidate for 2020.

I was the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Kwesimintsim Constituency in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region during the 2016 general elections, so obviously, many would think that I have to seriously clamour for someone from the Western Region to be considered by the party as the running mate. Yes, “adze wo fie a oye”, but honestly I do not think a Vice Presidential Candidate from the Western Region for NDC is ethnically right for the party for the 2020 elections. I am trying to be nationalistic.

Ethnicity plays an important role in politics in this part of our world, and we cannot run away from that. I strongly recommend that the NDC must consider someone from the GaDangme ethnic group (Greater Accra Region) as the running mate for the 2020 elections.

When it comes to democratically elected President or Prime Minister including Vice President since independence, Western Region (now Western and Western North) has had its fair share in the person of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah from pre-independence and independence to 1966.

The Brong Ahafo Region (now Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions) also had their share in the person of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, the Prime Minister from 1969 to 1972.

Now let us turn our attention to the Central Region. The Central Region has had the biggest chunk of the presidency/vice presidency in Ghana since independence.

The list from the Central Region goes as follows: Dr. Joseph William Swain de Graft Johnson was the Vice President to President Dr. Hilla Liman from 1979 to 1981; Mr. Kow Nkensen Arkaah was the Vice President to President Jerry John Rawlings from 1993 to 1997; Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was the Vice President to President Jerry John Rawlings from 1997 to 2001; Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was the President from 2008 to 2012; and Mr. Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur was the Vice President to President John Dramani Mahama from 2013 to 2017.

Obviously, the Central Region has exhausted their slots for the presidency and vice presidency, for now, in the persons of Dr. de Graft Johnson, Mr. Arkaah, Prof. Atta Mills, and Mr. Amissah-Arthur.

From the Volta Region (now Volta and Oti Regions) former President Jerry John Rawlings had been at the helm of affairs as the head of government in Ghana as a military leader for eleven years (1981 to 1993) and democratically elected President for two terms (eight years) from 1993 to 2001.

Even though the Volta Region remains the stronghold of the NDC, the region has ethnically had more than its fair share of the first gentleman of Ghana in the person of President Rawlings, so it would be politically and ethnically unwise for NDC to select a running mate from the region.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor from the Ashanti (Asante) Region has closed the slot for the region having served as the President for two terms from 2001 to 2009

Generally, Ghanaians, especially those of us from the southern part of the country ignorantly consider people from the Northern Region (now Northern, North East, and Savannah), Upper East, and Upper West as all coming from the north, so when it comes to the occupation of the presidency and vice presidency, the north has got their turn.

From the northern part of Ghana, Dr. Hilla Liman occupied the office of President from 1979 to 1981 while Vice President Aliu Mahama served under President John Agyekum Kufuor from 2001 to 2008. Former President John Dramani Mahama served as Vice President with President Prof. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills from 2009 to 2012 and as President from 2012 to 2017. Currently, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia also from the north is in government with President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Obviously, with ex-President Mahama as the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2020 general elections, it would be politically suicidal for the party to even consider someone from the northern part of Ghana.

The current President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo is from the Eastern Region just like his father, Edward Akufo-Addo who was the ceremonial President of the Republic of Ghana when Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia was the Prime Minister from 1969 to 1972.

From the above analysis, the Greater Accra Region remains the only region that has not had any personality occupying the office of the President or Vice President since independence even though certain individuals from the region in the persons of Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, Sergeant Nii Adjetey, Nii Kwabena Bonne II and many Ga Dagmes were also at the forefront during the struggle for independence from the Gold Coast colonial rulers.

Having dealt with the ethnic factor, let us focus on the gender factor.

Since the inception of the Fourth Republican democratic dispensation, the two main political parties in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party, have not given the opportunity to a woman to either be a presidential candidate or running mate. The smaller political parties have tried to experiment in that direction but those parties are nowhere closer to annexing the Flagstaff House. They can never win any presidential race in Ghana. Even their chances of getting seats in parliament keep on dwindling, how much more presidential. The whale can easily pass through the eye of the needle but the smaller political parties cannot pass through the wide gates of the Flagstaff House.

The time has come for the NDC to seriously consider selecting a female as a Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2020 general elections. Strategically, it would be to the political advantage of the party to explore the gender factor in next year’s elections. In other words, we have to strategically use the gender factor to our advantage as the largest political party in Ghana. Yes, NDC is the largest political party in Ghana.

Women make up the greater portion of Ghana’s population and they need to be given the opportunity to serve at the highest level in our political dispensation apart from the parliament.

Majority of eligible Ghanaian voters are women and they would want to identify themselves with other women vying for higher political positions, especially, the presidency. That will even serve as a motivating factor for younger women to aspire for higher standards in life.

From the foregoing, it is evidently clear that my preferred choice for the NDC Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Valarie Sawyerr, possesses all the qualities to be considered by the party leadership. Ethnically, she comes from the GaDagnme ethnic group and on the gender front she fits in perfectly. Apart from these factors, she is academically overqualified, she has extensive international exposure, and her loyalty and commitment to the party cannot be challenged. Having served as a Deputy Chief of Staff during President Atta Mills and President John Mahama’s tenure, she has a vast knowledge of good governance and political administration under her sleeves.

Yes, Dr. Valarie Sawyerr stands tall among all possible candidates to be considered for selection as the running mate for the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, Ex-President John Dramani Mahama, come 2020 general elections.

The march back to the Flagstaff House for NDC has begun.

By Augustine Arthur,
2016 NDC Parliamentary Candidate, Kwesimintsim Constituency,

Western Region