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Ghana: Give Us the Slot
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Accra Mail (Accra)
26 March 2008
Posted to the web 26 March 2008
Dr. Nunoo Ghartey, Ghana's leading eye doctor and former Central Region Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said his party's 2008 presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo would be making "the wisest political decision" if he takes a running mate from the Central Region.
In an interview with the ADM during the Easter holidays, Dr. Ghartey said, like the 2004 elections, the Central Region would again be the battle ground for this year's elections.
He explained that, the Central Region until 2004, was dominated by the CPP and the NDC, and since the CPP and the NDC have their presidential candidates from the region, the home boy factor will play out in these elections.
The NPP, he said, was able to win the Central Region in 2004 because of President Kufuor's leadership and the ground work that the party did in the region.
"This time, the NPP has a new leader, he does not have the aura and the track record of governance which President Kufuor had in 2004", he said.
There are many names making the rounds as to who would be Nana Addo's running mate in this year's elections, but none of them hails from the Central Region.
"Whether we like it or not", Dr. Ghartey said, "the home boy factor is going to play out in this year's elections and the CPP and NDC would have the edge."
He said though the NDC has always been strong in the area, the CPP has been rejuvenated and ready for the challenge.
He said the NPP cannot afford to take the Central Region for granted. "Just because we were able to increase our votes there in 2004" he explained "does not mean we will win again."
He said, "We have to neutralize the home boy factor and convince the people that we are part of them."
"Unless we are able to do this", the former Central Region chairman said, "we will lose in Central Region."
Dr. Ghartey said any political party which wins the Central Region will also produce the next president of the country.
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"We want to win this election and we know where the battle ground is, so we must make a choice that would neutralize this home boy factor," he concluded.
Dr. Ghartey's call comes at a time when much jockeying is taking place by many people, especially northerners to be chosen to run with Nana Akufo-Addo. With the rather surprising and dramatic rejection of the sitting Vice President, who is a northerner and Muslim at the NPP congress last December, there's much finger-wringing within the ruling party as to how to handle the "Northern/Muslim Question". Indeed, within certain quarters of the party, suggestions are being floated that perhaps the Vice President should be convinced to run again for the office he has occupied these past eight years!
Dr. Ghartey's call cannot be good news to the NPP because the Central Region, not the Northern Region, may once more hold the key in the coming elections. With the NDC's Professor Atta Mills and CPP's Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum both coming from that particular region, a slight shift in numbers, due to disenchantment of any sort, like being "denied" the running mate slot could spell doom for the NPP. Should the Northerners/Muslims too feel they have been "denied" the slot, the few votes that could make all the difference would not be forthcoming. It is like the proverbial "Santrofi Anoma": you keep it and there is trouble, you allow it to fly away and you could lose a great fortune as a result. Not a very comforting thought for a party hoping to win a historic third term
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