Historian and lawyer, Anokye Frimpong, has delved into the issue of the selection of a running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), making a good case for Julius Debrah, a former Chief of Staff, to be highly considered for the position.
Speaking in a radio interview with Okwahu FM, the historian said that what the NDC needs now is not just its focus on getting someone from a part of the country believed to give them an upper-hand in terms of votes.
He added that, for instance, the argument that the 2020 running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, hailing from the Central Region is a better advantage for the party’s ticket and chances is not accurate.
He argued, rather, that a person like Julius Debrah, whose popularity outweighs that of Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang, should be the man the NDC chooses, especially if it intends to cause a major change in the elections of 2024.
“Between Julius Debrah and Kojo Bonsu, as Julius is in Accra as Chief of Staff and the other one is the KMA boss, the Chief of Staff is primarily the prime minister and, in that position, he’s as known as the vice president. The Chief of Staff who knows and see everything of the president… at the Jubilee House, before you see the president, you must go through the Chief of Staff…
“And so, in that position as Chief of Staff, the truth I am telling you is that when he was campaigning with Naana Jane, nobody knew the woman, but as Chief of Staff, it would be hard for people to say they did not know him. So, if the NDC wants to cause a major change, this is the man they should be considering,” he explained.
Anokye Frimpong also explained the dynamics of the political regional breakdown in the country and why the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, must be concerned about it in the decision it makes for a running mate.
He argued, for instance, that the impression that having a candidate from the Central Region is a good case in terms of numbers for the party, is not right.
“Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is a Fante and from the Central Region, but the Centra Region that she is from is not like the Ashanti Region. In the Ashanti Region, they carry more than 46 constituencies where they all speak the same language… and the new Ahafo Region that has been created are not Bono people. Ahafo are Ashanti people…
“… the Assin areas: north, south, central, are all Ashantis. Technically-speaking, there is not tribe called Kwahu. We have the Akyem, which is a tribe… the Akuapem, which is also a tribe… the Akwamu, also a tribe, who have all fought with the Ashantis before, but with the Kwahu, they are Ashantis who are always fighting with their siblings… but they are 100% Ashantis…”
He added that “Ashanti has 47 constituencies, Ahafo has 6 constituencies, Assin 3, and Kwahu will have about 3 constituencies, and when you put them together, the numbers are really high, as against Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who is a Fante. And in the region, those who don’t know it think that everybody in the Central Region is Fante, but that is where the Assin people are and they speak Twi… same as Denkyira people who also speak Twi.”
Watch his full breakdown on this subject below:
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