Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is set to announce his running mate this month for the critical December 7, 2024, presidential and parliamentary elections.
Several names have come up as possible candidates to partner with the NDC flagbearer including former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah; entrepreneur and banker, Kwabena Awuah Darko, and former Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
Choosing the former Education Minister will, however, signify the NDC’s continued preference for selecting their vice-presidential candidate from the Central Region, a tradition maintained since 2012.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang’s selection will mark a notable moment in NDC’s history under the 4th Republic, reflecting a consistent strategy in candidate selection similar to former President Jerry John Rawlings’ varying choices of running mates during his tenure.
Mahama, preparing for his fourth presidential contest, previously won the 2012 election with Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and lost the subsequent 2016 and 2020 elections, the latter with Professor Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate.
Following Amissah-Arthur’s death in 2018, Mahama’s choice of Opoku-Agyemang in 2020 was a significant shift, now set to continue into the 2024 race.
The selection process had initially considered candidates from three regions: Central, Eastern, and Ashanti, with Professor Opoku-Agyemang emerging as the preferred choice from the Central Region.
Despite the NDC’s defeat in the Central Region and nationally in 2020 with her on the ticket, the party appears to have decided to maintain her as the running mate. This decision has sparked discussions within the NDC about its potential impact on the party’s fortunes in the upcoming election.
Many faithful of the NDC, however, believe repeating Naana Opoku-Agyemang as the party’s running mate will add very little to the party’s ticket and may not yield any political benefits to the fortune of the NDC in the December 2024 elections.
The argument for a running mate to be chosen from the Eastern Region has also dominated the political discourse in the NDC.
Some argue the Eastern Region has a multi-ethnic mix and only 50% of the region is ‘Akans’ who traditionally vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Others also argue that since President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who hails from the Eastern Region, will no longer be on the ballot paper, it will be strategic for the NDC to choose a running mate from the Eastern Region.
Some elements in the NDC also believe that it is time to take the fight for power to the stronghold of the NPP by choosing a candidate from the Ashanti Region.
They argue that if the NPP does not choose its presidential candidate or running mate from the Ashanti Region, the NDC can put up a strong showing in the region should the party choose its running mate from there.
Prof Jaane Nana Opoku-Agyemang is, however, likely to emerge as the running mate to John Mahama, especially with a national campaign for the parties to consider women for the vice-presidential slot.
Pressure has been mounting on New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to also consider selecting a woman as running mate since he won the party’s presidential primary.
Several groups including FIDA and queenmothers have added their voice to the call for the political parties to give women the running mate slot for the 2024 presidential elections.
