Should geographical location be more important than competence of a presidential candidate?

As Ghana gradually looks beyond the presidency of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, there is a political question that has increasingly been bothering my mind. I have heard suggestions, particularly in discussions about the future leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that because President Mahama is from northern Ghana and has occupied a prominent place in our national politics for many years, another northerner succeeding him as the party’s presidential candidate would somehow be politically inappropriate.

I respectfully disagree with this reasoning. In fact, I believe it is a notion that must be challenged before it gradually hardens into an unwritten political rule. Why should the geographical origin of a competent Ghanaian become a disadvantage simply because another person from the same broad part of the country has previously occupied the presidency?

If a prospective presidential candidate possesses the competence, impeccable character, experience, qualifications, national appeal and leadership capacity required to govern Ghana, why should being from northern Ghana count against that person?

Ghana Elects a President for the Nation, Not for a Region

The President of Ghana does not govern the North, South, East or West. The President governs the Republic of Ghana. Once elected, the constitutional responsibility of the President extends from Hamile to Aflao and from Paga to Cape Three Points. Our political thinking must therefore reflect the national character of the office.

President Mahama's northern origin should neither become an entitlement for another northerner nor a barrier against one. Those are two sides of the same flawed reasoning. No candidate should demand the presidency merely because of geographical origin, but equally, no competent candidate should be told to wait simply because somebody from his or her part of Ghana has already served.

If there are constitutional requirements concerning regional balance, inclusion or representation, those must of course be respected. But beyond such legal and constitutional considerations, Ghana should be extremely careful about converting geography into an unofficial qualification or disqualification for the presidency.

Competence Must Carry Greater Weight

The challenges confronting Ghana do not ask where a President comes from. Public debt has no hometown. Unemployment has no regional identity. Corruption does not recognise the boundary between northern and southern Ghana. Illegal mining, environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, food insecurity, inadequate healthcare and weaknesses in our educational system affect citizens across geographical boundaries.

The appropriate response to such national challenges is therefore competent leadership.

When political parties select presidential candidates, the serious questions should be straightforward. Does this person understand Ghana's problems? Has the individual demonstrated leadership and sound judgement? Does the candidate possess integrity and an impeccable character? Can a person unite the country, command national confidence, assemble a competent team and take difficult decisions in the national interest? Does the individual possess sufficient experience, intellectual capacity and political maturity to carry the enormous responsibility of the presidency?

Those considerations should weigh far more heavily than the accident of one's birthplace.

President Mahama Cannot Represent Every Northerner

There is another weakness in the argument that President Mahama's long political prominence should effectively close the door temporarily to other northerners. Northern Ghana is neither one homogeneous political community nor one interchangeable geographical identity.

The northern part of Ghana encompasses different regions, ethnic groups, cultures, languages, histories and political experiences. One accomplished politician from northern Ghana cannot permanently exhaust the leadership possibilities of millions of other citizens from that part of the country.

President Mahama must ultimately be judged by his own record, just as any person seeking to succeed him must be assessed independently. A future candidate should not inherit President Mahama's political advantages merely for being a northerner, but neither should that candidate inherit a geographical penalty because President Mahama happens to come from the North.

That distinction is crucial.

The NDC Should Search for Its Best Candidate

For the NDC in particular, the post-Mahama succession should be approached with considerable seriousness. President Mahama will not remain the party's presidential candidate forever, and the party will eventually have to identify a suitable successor capable of carrying its political tradition into another generation.

When that moment comes, the NDC should cast its net wide.

Let qualified candidates emerge from northern, southern, middle or coastal Ghana. Let them present their records, ideas, character, experience and vision.

Let delegates and the wider party assess their national appeal and capacity to win the confidence of Ghanaians. The strongest candidate should not be weakened because of geography, and a weaker candidate should not be elevated simply to satisfy an informal geographical calculation.

Regional inclusiveness certainly matters in Ghanaian politics. Political parties must remain sensitive to our diversity and ensure that different communities feel represented in national governance. But inclusiveness should complement competence, not replace it.

Character and National Suitability Matter Enormously

The presidency is too consequential to be reduced to a rotational geographical trophy. Ghana needs leaders with integrity, courage, competence, empathy, experience and the ability to rise above narrow partisan and sectional interests.

A presidential candidate may possess impressive academic qualifications but lack political judgement. Another may have decades of political experience but lack integrity. Yet another may be popular within a particular region but struggle to inspire confidence nationally. Selecting a credible presidential candidate therefore requires examining the whole person.

This is why I place considerable importance on competence, impeccable character, national suitability, experience, qualifications and demonstrated leadership. Geography may legitimately form part of the broader political calculation, but it should never become an overriding consideration.

Let Merit Compete Freely

Ghana's democracy will mature further when we become increasingly comfortable judging presidential aspirants by what they can offer the entire country rather than where their hometown happens to be located.

If the best person to succeed President Mahama within the NDC comes from southern Ghana, let that person compete and be judged on merit. If the best candidate comes from northern Ghana, let that person equally compete without carrying an artificial political burden because President Mahama is also a northerner. The same principle should apply to every political party.

Ghana belongs equally to all Ghanaians, and the presidency should remain open to every constitutionally qualified citizen capable of earning the confidence of the people.

politics should certainly recognise geography, diversity and inclusion. But when choosing someone who could ultimately carry the destiny of more than 30 million Ghanaians, competence must outweigh coordinates.

The question should therefore not be, “Where does the next President come from?”

The far more important question is, “Who among those seeking to lead us has the competence, character, experience, national appeal and vision to move Ghana forward?”

That is the question a serious democracy should ask.