Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia will not benefit from incumbency in the upcoming Presidential primary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a political scientist has noted.
Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana says calls by party kingpins such as Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Assin Central MP, who is also a flagbearer hopeful, for a change in the face of the NPP could affect the Vice President’s chances in the flagbearer race.
He contends that incumbency has its merits and demerits, hence the Vice President’s chances in the presidential primary could be affected by his current position.
He was speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3, Monday, July 10, 2023.
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“Incumbency has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, but what we have currently, I don’t think that incumbency will play to the advantage of Dr. Bawumia, far from it.
“Within the NPP, they don’t want to maintain the same face. That’s why Ken Agyapong said the same faces that took us to the IMF cannot be the same face to lead the party in 2024,” he told host, Alfred Ocansey.
He continued that, even though some Members of Parliament have come out to declare their support for the Vice President, they might vote against him on the election day.
He averred that such MPs might be protecting their interests and not necessarily be supporters of Dr. Bawumia.
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“In politics, you don’t take chances. If the establishment supports a particular candidate, they want to whip everybody in line and whoever wants to be recalcitrant, obviously will incur the wrath of the powers that be. So, for every rational human being, you’ll want to tow the line, but on the day of voting when he or she is in the booth, he decides alone and no threats, no intimidation in the booth whatsoever,” he stated.
Ten people have been vetted to contest the flagbearer position of the New Patriotic Party for election 2024.
The three topmost candidates for the contest are; former Trade and Industry Minister, John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for the Assin Central Constituency.
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