Dr. Asah-Asante cautions Bawumia over delayed selection of running mate for 2024 election

A Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante has indicated that it is important for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to name his running mate as soon as possible.

According to him, the continuous delay in naming a running mate can go against the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The party must be mindful of the fact that time is not on their side. Yes, you want to consult broadly but you can’t spend all your life on that. By now, they should be out with a candidate who has all the qualities that they want so that it doesn’t delay the campaign unnecessarily,” Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante said in an interview with Citi FM.

The Senior Political Science lecturer agrees with the decision by the NPP and its flagbearer to properly consult before naming a running mate but also believes the delay is becoming too much.

He wants the NPP to make a decision with its flagbearer and quickly name a running mate ahead of the 2024 General Election.

“If you wait, the issue is that you bring the person in, then the person now comes to face a campaign already set in motion. People will now want to scrutinize the person, they will want to assess the person, and they will want to throw all manner of things at the person and that is the best means by which you can see how best you can shepherd your candidate and then prepare him/her for the task ahead. I think the delay is becoming too much. I think the party must quickly come out with a running mate,” Dr. Asah-Asante said.

The NPP is currently behind schedule as far as preparing for the 2024 general election is concerned.

Although the NPP’s constitution requires that a running mate is to be selected 12 months before a major election if the President is not the candidate, that is yet to be done.