NDC running mate: Kwesi Botchwey enters fray

It appears the battle for the running-mate slot in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not ending anytime soon, as more groups continue to push and lobby for their favourite personalities.

Calls have already intensified, albeit separately, for the President to appoint either the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, the Foreign Minister, Hannah Tetteh, or stick with the current candidate, Mr. Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

However, the latest name to pop up is the former Finance Minister in the erstwhile President Jerry John Rawlings administration, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, who is enjoying support from a group that calls itself Victory For Mahama 2016.

The group says the ex-finance minister stands tall amongst all the various names that have come up because of his political experience and competence in the management of this country.

Whilst admitting though, that the other potential candidates equally are deserving of the slot, the Victory For Mahama 2016 group noted that Dr. Botchwey brings on board vast political experience and economic competence that will engender trust and confidence in the ability of the NDC to surmount the economic challenges confronting this country.

“We understand the call from our friends from Volta and the Central regions urging the President to choose Mr. Adjaho and Hannah Tetteh respectively. They are all equally good choices, but we believe their track records and general social reputations are questionable,” it noted.

They further asserted that the competence of the current Vice President has been doubted by lots of Ghanaians, stressing that many Ghanaians feel that His Excellency Mr. Amissah-Arthur has not made any significant contribution to the economic growth of this country, despite his background as an economist and former Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

They observed that the party has had a huge gap between the President and his Vice in the delivery of their respective roles, stressing that the great deal of incompetence at the vice presidency, as a government and as a party, cannot be allowed to continue into the 2016 elections.

According to them, whilst they do not blame President Mahama so much for the appointment of Mr. Amissah-Arthur in 2012, a situation, they said, was due to limited time available on his hands, considering the fact that he had barely six months to campaign, the NDC must not make another mistake, since it may not be second time lucky.

They contended in a statement signed by its leader, Mr. Prah Enoch, that the best candidate to match the NPP running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, whose contribution to Ghana’s economy could not be over-emphasised.

“We can’t fail to admit that Dr. Bawumia of the NPP is gradually asserting himself as a competent economist in the eyes of many Ghanaians, contrary to his counterpart, Mr. Amissah-Arthur, and the earlier we give him a good match, the better it would be for our party,” the group indicated.

The group observed that though Doe Adjaho is a fine gentleman and possesses lots of admirable qualities, it doubts his ability to complement the efforts of the President in maximising votes for the NDC, whilst in the case of the Foreign Minister, Hannah Tetteh, her perceived arrogance and lack of knowledge on issues about the economy puts her at a disadvantageous position.