Bawumia’s Current Biggest Hurdle: Running Mate Selection

It was not accidental that when Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia got elected as the 2024 Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), his Saturday, November 4, victory at the Accra Sports Stadium was to stamp his authority as a true leader and tell Ghanaians he is his own man and nobody’s stooge.

That assurance from Dr. Bawumia was critical considering the fact that his critics have suggested rather strongly that if or when he becomes President, he would be a puppet of his boss, President Akufo-Addo and his close family.

Dr. Bawumia’s critics have argued that he is a pushover who would cow into docility with his clapped palms between this thighs, dancing to whatever song Akufo-Addo sings even if the lyrics order him to make particular appointments.

As a newspaper, we do not share in that suggestion. We have zero reasons to. In Ghana, politics has a lot to do with perceptions and once that perception has been created, it is necessary Team Bawumia or perhaps he himself makes some conscious effort to knock it off.

From our perspective, Dr. Bawumia’s choice of a running mate and the narrative that would envelope the selection process would be his first hurdle to prove how much of “own man” he is.

Would be make a brilliant choice and in consultation with the appropriate stakeholders in the elephant family, make it public within a reasonable time, or he would allow some perceived King Makers ordain one for him and force the name down his throat?

Team Bawumia ought to be strategic in navigating this slippery slope. If the Team misses the plot and stands akimbo unconcerned for his critics to continue to sell the narrative that Dr. Bawumia was not allowed enough elbow-space to self pick a running mate he is comfortable with, but rather one was dumped on him as thought it was a pre-arranged-forced marriage, that would be the death of the “I am my own man” mantra.

The next elections is certainly not a walk in the park for any party and if the NPP really intends to be retained in government for a straight third term, then Ghanaians need to be reassured that Dr. Bawumia, as President, is not going to do the same things Akufo-Addo did or is doing.

The country certainly needs an improved performance in all sectors. The country certainly needs a leader who can accelerate development faster than what pertains now.

Such a candidate cannot and should not be a person perceived to be a stooge of anyone. The perception may not be a reality but most certainly should not be left hanging.

Such a perception can either be eroded or fortified depending on how conversations surrounding events leading to the selection of a running mate is handled.

Perceptions matter.