J. H Mensah’s view on Bawumia wrong

A founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region, Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, has asked party elder, Mr J.B. Mensah, to spare the party any “destructive path” over the choice of Nana Akufo- Addo’s running mate.

He said Mr Mensah’s recent assertion that the choice of Dr Mahamadu Bawumia as running mate for Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 presidential elections was a mistake indicated Mr Mensah’s belittling of Dr Bawumia’s ability to become a vice-president of the country.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Ayisi-Boateng said he expected Mr Mensah, an astute politician and economist, to weigh the political situation well before going out with the statement.

He said anyone who tried to strangle Dr Bawumia even before Nana Addo made his choice would be doing harm to the NPP and added that Nana Akufo-Addo never made a mistake in choosing Dr Bawumia, as Mr Mensah believed.

According to him, even though Dr Bawumia was not very well known in the NPP in 2008, he worked hard for the party to get an appreciable number of votes in the three northern regions.

Mr Ayisi-Boateng said as a technocrat par excellence, Dr Bawumia would be a very good vice-president for the country, especially as he would lead the economic management team of an Akufo-Addo-led government.

He stated that the NPP needed a measure of continuity in the choice of running mate for the presidential candidate.

“I can tell you that the NDC knows the strength of Dr Bawumia and would be happy if he is not chosen as running mate. That is why some of us are calling on Nana Akufo-Addo to pick the man again,” he said.

He urged Mr Mensah to use his expertise in economics to discuss the rot in the economy rather than “running down his own party members.”

In a related development, the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, has disagreed with Mr. Mensah’s assertions the NPP flag-bearer’s choice of Dr Bawumia as a running mate in 2008was a mistake.

Prof Oquaye, told an Accra based FM station that inasmuch as he disagreed with the elder of the party, he believed everyone has his or her own opinion. He urged the members of the NPP to learn to respect the choice of the flag-bearer of the party.

Mr Mensah had also suggested that the NPP should not necessarily go for a Muslim from the north to partner Nana Akuffo-Addo.

However, Mr Oqaye said the northern Muslim factor could not be ignored in the search for a running mate to partner Nana Akuffo-Addo for the 2012 elections.

“Our party is a very liberal party and if you think that was a mistake, I disagree with them without any qualms,” the legislator said.

“At the end of the day, we are going to come out with a decision that would balance the ticket,” he added.