Napo tipped as Bawumia’s running mate

With Dr Mahamudu Bawumia having secured the position of flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party ( NPP) for the 2024 general elections, questions are being raised as to who he will choose as his running mate.

The Thunder is reliably informed that power brokers in the NPP are in favour of the running mate coming from the party’s stronghold of Ashanti Region.

Indeed, the National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly called Nana B, has suggested that the person to pair Dr Bawumia be chosen from the Ashanti Region, and has gone ahead to give reasons to that. “For me, the focus should be on Ashanti Region, which is our strongest base,” Nana Boakye stated.

Attributes
The NPP national organiser said, the person to be chosen should have a proven track record of competence and must have excelled in the position held in government.

Although he did not mention names, he said, “ The person must have been an MP for at least three times. It may not be a strict requirement but it will be a needed ingredient. “That MP must know political mobilization,political communication, and should be well versed in political strategies. He must be a person who has been a legislator both in opposition and in government.”

Names
The names that have so far emerged include Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh; the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare; Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu.

Napo tops
Many political strategists have suggested that Dr Opoku Prempeh aka Napo comes out tops among names being mentioned as possible running mates to Dr Bawumia.

Napo, who is also the MP for Manhyia South, has retained popularity and competence since he was elected as a legislator in 2008.

He comes with solid credentials and many see him as not only the ideal partner to help the NPP flag bearer win Election 2024 but also to administer the country effectively. He is seen as a grassroots man and also appeals to the middle class.

In the presidential primary which Dr Bawumia was elected as flag bearer, Dr Opoku Prempeh led the charge to garner 85.5% of the votes in his constituency for the Vice President, one of the highest in the region.

Successes
A four-time MP, Dr Opoku Prempeh, 55, a medical doctor by profession, had chalked several successes in the Energy Ministry, and was also a household name in the Ministry of Education, where he previously administered.
In the energy ministry, he has led several initiatives that have kept the lights on in spite of the challenges in the sector.

At the Ministry of Education, Dr Opoku Prempeh, among other things is credited with successfully rolling out the flagship educational programme of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme in 2017.

He also chalked successes in Pre-Tertiary Curriculum Reform, TVET Reforms, Teacher Professionalization – Licensure Examination, Teacher Selection, Retention and Promotion, Tertiary Education Reforms, Infrastructure (Intervention Projects & Expansions), Legislative Reforms, and Pre-Tertiary Curriculum Reform.