The Director of Campaign Communications for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said that the selection of the Vice President as flagbearer for the NPP would aid in relieving the party of the ‘Akan Party’ tag.
Speaking on PM Express, Nana Akomea said that the NPP has always been all-inclusive and accommodating of other people, however, because the opposition labelled them ‘Akan Party’, they have been unable to move away from it.
“You know, the NPP, we’ve always suffered from a certain branding from our opponents. Every election after election, they repeat that branding. And the branding is that ‘ah, this is an Akan party. If you are not Akan, you can’t be their leader’. So, in Dr Bawumia, we have a good chance to neutralise the branding of the party,” he said.
The former Employment Minister explained that this would also put a stop to the propaganda from opposition parties who campaign against the NPP with the ‘Akan party’ tag.
Nana Akomea stated that aside from having someone who is talented and goal-oriented as a person to lead the party, delegates also are interested in people who would help the party win power.
“Now, you have a candidate like Dr Baumia, who would give you a more inclusive branding and would neutralize the NDC’s propaganda. We have the tool in our hands to change that branding and that is Dr Bawumia,” he added.
He added that this will also help gain votes in areas where people, as a result of the ‘Akan party’ brand, have voted against the NPP.
Nana Akomea added that the Northern Region, for instance, is no longer a stronghold for the NDC largely because of Dr Bawumia.
“Before he came, we were not getting those votes. We believe that if we present him as a presidential candidate, he would, of all the candidates, further the weakening of the Northern region as a major stronghold of the NDC,” Nana Akomea noted.
Nana Akomea also noted that Dr Bawumia has also shown the NPP and Ghanaians his capabilities – from 2012 when he stood in court for the election hearing to aiding in the implementation of many policies in his time as Vice President.
Dr Bawumia is one of 10 aspirants in the New Patriotic Party’s presidential primaries. The aspirants hoping to lead the party to the 2024 general elections will go through a special delegates conference this weekend.
The conference is aimed at trimming down the number of aspirants from 10 to five prior to the national conference expected to be held in November.
The special delegate conference will come off on Saturday, August 26.
