Bawumia’s problem will be his ‘economic Messiah’ tag, running mate choice - Economist

Economist and Political Risk Analyst, Dr Theo Acheampong, has said that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s challenge after winning the flagbearership contest of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will be shaking off the notion that he had all it took to fix the economic challenges of Ghana when he was in opposition; and his choice of running mate to partner him for the 2024 Presidential Election.

For him, that Dr Bawumia will emerge as flagbearer of the NPP after today’s National Delegates Conference is a foregone conclusion but his major hurdles – proving that he still has what it takes to manage the economy and choosing a suitable running mate will surface after his victory.

Dr Acheampong contended that given the current state of the economy, Dr Bawumia and his team will have a lot of work to do to demonstrate to Ghanaians that he deserves their vote in 2024.

He emphasized that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has a better chance at winning the 2024 General Elections and it is the NPP that has to work hard to prevent the NDC from winning.

“That Dr Bawumia will win today’s NPP primaries is a foregone conclusion. A large margin of victory will signal the extent of party unity, complemented by concession speeches made by the other candidates. Dr B needs not less than 70% (7 in 10 voters) to send an emphatic statement of likeability within the NPP rank and file.

However, in my view, he’s got major issues which his advisors and strategists must spend the next weeks and months finding cogent answers to if they want to break the 8 as they’ve been saying ‘ad-nauseam’. My premise is that the 2024 election remains for the NDC to lose; there is a high likelihood of a run-off in 2024. Given this context, the following issues arise:

How does Dr Bawumia shake off the ‘economic messiah/guru’ tag, given that he and his party have delivered sub-optimal outcomes?…[And his] choice of running mate: Our politics is still ethnicity or identity-based. In this regard, lots of names being mentioned about who’ll partner Dr B. Electoral appeal, especially in the Akan areas, is crucial,” he argued.

Dr Bawumia is expected to beat Kennedy Agyapong, Francis Addai Nimo and Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto to emerge victorious after voting at the National Delegates Conference closes at 5pm today.

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