Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has informed President Akufo-Addo that Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is his choice as running mate for the December elections.
This was during a meeting Dr Bawumia had with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House on Tuesday night [June 25, 2024].
The President in that meeting offered advice and shared his thoughts.
The next move is for the flag bearer to go ahead and present Dr Opoku Prempeh’s name to the National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in line with the constitution of the party and if it is accepted, the party will go ahead and outdoor Dr Prempeh as the running mate.
Ahead of the meeting, several names had been tipped as potential running mates for Dr Bawumia’s bid, but that of Dr Opoku Prempeh, aka ‘Napo’”[Nana Poku], was flying higher along side that of the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, and Ursula Owusu Ekuful, among others.
A nephew of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Manhyia South MP also has royal lineage at the Apagyafie at the Manhyia Palace. His constituency is not merely a stronghold of the party, but actually delivered 83 per cent of the presidential votes to the NPP in the 2020 election.
The contest for the presidency in December is mainly between Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP and former president John Dramani Mahama of the NDC.
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Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) says it is working with the Ghana Prisons Service to register eligible prison inmates ahead of the 2024 General Election. The Commission said eligible prison inmates would be registered during the mop-up registration exercise scheduled for August 1 to August 3, 2024, in all district offices of the Commission.
The Commission made the announcement at a media briefing after meeting the National Peace Council in Accra. The meeting formed part of the EC’s engagements with key stakeholders ahead of the 2024 polls to inform them about the election calendar and solicit their input to ensure credible, free, fair, and transparent elections. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, discussed measures to foster peace and harmony among political actors, the citizenry, institutions, and other stakeholders before, during, and after the elections.
The Peace Council asked the EC to build trust among the political parties, and the public, and to continuously engage relevant stakeholders in its operations to avoid doubts and promote transparency and accountability. Mrs Jean Mensa, Chairperson, EC, said the Commission was committed to delivering transparent, free, and credible elections, hence its decision to engage the Peace Council.
“We have had useful deliberations. The purpose was to brief the Council, receive feedback, and address some of the concerns that you have. We are going away with some useful nuggets that we believe will strengthen our work,” she said.
Mrs Mensa reiterated the commitment of the Commission to make the necessary arrangements for the people of Guan Constituency to participate in the upcoming elections. She also affirmed that the Commission would not introduce any new Constitutional Instrument to govern the December 7 polls and added that indelible ink would be used during the exercise. Touching on the registration of prison inmates, the EC Chairperson said the Commission was securing data from the Prisons Service to guide its arrangements.
Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the Chairman of the National Peace Council, said the meeting discussed, among other issues, trust building between the EC, political parties and the public, and the need to continuously explain issues to all stakeholders.
“It’s been a very fruitful meeting,” he said, and expressed delight that the people of the Guan Constituency would be participating in the upcoming elections.
The EC conducted a voters’ registration exercise from May 7 to May 29, 2024, and proceeded with a nationwide exercise to replace missing voter ID cards from May 30, 2024. It has also completed a voter transfer exercise.
