Afenyo-Markin teases Kofi-Buah over NDC Vice Presidential slot

Mr Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament for the Efutu Constituency, in the Central Region has suggested for consideration, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle as the running mate for the NDC in the 2020 polls.

He made the suggestion, in a point of order as Mr Buah was contributing to a motion moved by Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister for Information for the House to thank President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo for delivering the message on the State of the Nation.

As Mr Buah, was contributing to the debate, Mr Afenyo-Markin rose up on point of order, to challenge aspects of the contribution of Mr Buah, and in a tease, bantered at Mr Buah, who was praising the former Mills-Mahama Administrations for successes in the energy and petroleum sectors, asking whether it was because he was being considered to be chosen as the running mate of the NDC for Election 2020.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) sampled views of members on the tease on the floor of Parlaiment, most of the respondents said it could be a good guess as Mr Buah could be a veritable running mate for flagbearer Mahama.

The explanation was that Mr Buah who served as Minister for Petroleum from 2013 to 2016, and Deputy Minister for Energy from 2009-2013, contributed immensely to the solution of the electricity crisis under the Administration of former President Mahama.

Furthermore, the respondents believed there was the need for the NDC to go to another Region, apart from the Central Region, to pick the running mate, to complete a North-South team for a presidency under President Mahama as he hails from Northern Region.

From 1992 to date, three running mates of the NDC had come from the Central Region, namely; late Kow Nkesen Arkaah, late Vice President John Evans Atta Mills and late Vice President Kwesi Amissah- Arthur.

Some names that have also come up for consideration for the running mate slot are; Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah – Opong, a former Attorney General, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Ghana’s former Agriculture Minister and Minister and High Commissioner to South Africa, Dr Johnson Asiama, a former Bank of Ghana Deputy Governor; Mr Julius Debrah, a former Minister and the immediate-past Chief of Staff; Hannah S. Tetteh, a former Foreign Minister now U.N top Diplomat, and Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and Education Minister, Mrs Zita Benson, former Minister for Information, and Tourism.

Others include; Dr Kwesi Botchwey who was Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission under Mahama and Dr Zanetor Rawlings, MP and daughter of the Former President Jerry Rawlings.