The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has cautioned members to be circumspect on how they react to the party’s running mate selection process and the person selected.
According to him, the person’s name has not been officially conveyed by the relevant organs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The decisions about who will be Dr. Bawumia’s running mate are for particular organs of the party, and once those organs make a definitive decision, we must all respect it, he asserted.
“So far, we haven’t heard anything officially from the party. It is true that consultations are ongoing. We’ve heard names. All the names we are hearing are respected party members who have worked so hard for this great party. It will be inappropriate for one person to call out an individual.”
His comments comes after Andy Appiah-Kubi a a member of the NPP’s National Council and NPP MP for Asante Akim North constituency said Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was not his preferred choice.
He asserted that the party needed someone who will win them the votes and also be submissive to the presidency and that he did not see in the Energy Minister.
The Majority Leader reacting to those comments said no one individual can thick all the boxes because we are not perfect except God, our Creator.
“In this game of politics, if destiny chooses you, it does not matter your age, religion, or age; whether you are humble or whatever, whatever it is, if God has chosen you, so be it.”
He told party members that there was an election to win, thus they needed to work together.
“There is a need for the unity of the party to be maintained, so let us all wait and ensure that the unity of the party is maintained. We are aware that when Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was selected, she got only 35% approval from the party’s national council, and we didn’t hear a single soul in the NDC come out to say anything.”
He stressed that even if they were against the choice of the running mate, they had a responsibility to support the party instead of attacking the decision of the party and the presidential candidate.
He conceded that while the NPP did not perform as expected, they outperformed the NDC.
“We have done so much for this country. Of course, we’ve not scored 100 percent, but between us and the NDC, we are far better than them. It’s our duty to promote our party’s legacy, protect and preserve it, and make Ghana proud by giving our flag bearer an opportunity to lead this country. It is the first time ever in the history of Ghana that a political party has elected a person from a minority tribe and a Muslim to lead it in an election. For me, Dr. Bawumia represents the hope of the future of this country.
Now members of the minority tribe of this country will have the hope that it doesn’t matter which tribe you belong to; once they’re hardworking and commit themselves to the ideals of the NPP, they will get the opportunity someday to lead the party. Now any Muslim anywhere in this country will wake up to the new hope that it doesn’t matter his tribe in this country. We have a Christian majority, but a Christian majority has given a Muslim minority an opportunity to lead the party, meaning that his competence, his industry, and his hard work have been duly acknowledged by the rank and file of the party.
For me, that is one single plus that NPP has demonstrated: nobody will be left out. It is a party that believes in inclusiveness and diversity. Is the reason why Dr. Bawumia is our leader.”
He continued: “So the future of the country in terms of how we get everybody on board is guaranteed under him. Nobody will sit somewhere and say that because of my tribe, I won’t get any opportunity in the NPP; because of my region, there is no future for me. There is a future for you if you believe in our party because our party is a national party. The NDC has no record in this fourth republic of being a national party. We have demonstrated since 1992 that we are a national party.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
