NPP urged to make primaries' first runner-up, running Mate

Wa, July 11, GNA - Alhaji Abdulai Issahaku, former Upper West Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has suggested that any person, who ever emerges as the first runner-up in the party's future presidential primaries, should automatically become the running mate.

He said reserving that position for a Muslim or Northern extraction has not brought the required votes from the people in the North and Muslims population and it therefore might be fruitless if the party continued do so in future elections.

"Who ever therefore comes second to the eventual flag bearer in our future Presidential primary, whether an Akan, a Ga or an Ewe, we should not hesitate to endorse such a person as the running mate", he stressed during an interaction with newsmen at Wa at the weekend. Alhaji Issahaku observed that if his proposal was accepted, it would go a long way to save the party from excessive lobbying for that position, which has not helped the unity of the party in recent past. He opposed the proposal for a constitutional amendment to expand the party's Electoral College for the election of the Party's Flag bearer for the next election, saying it was unnecessary as the party won two elections with its current constitution.

"Our party won elections in 2001 and retained power in 2004 with this constitution, which was drawn when we were in opposition, why should we rush to expand the Electoral College just because we have lost power.

"What we have to do now is to assess our performance and find the causes that led to our loss of power. I do not think we lost because the present electoral arrangement in our constitution did not serve its purpose".

Alhaji Issahatu said believed the party contested the last election without unity and also said there was open rivalry within the rank and file, which made it unattractive to floating voters. He said what should be of great concern now was how the party could work out strategies to bring members together to work for victory in 2012 and not any extensive amendment of the constitution. 11 July 09