Kofi Agyepong
12 August 2008
If it was not for the serious business of democracy, the search for a running mate for the ruling New Patriotic Party's (NPP) presidential candidate could have been written off as a farce! Yesterday bus loads of obviously "induced" women, more or less ambushed presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, in his house at East Legon to prevail on him to name Hajia Alima Mahama as his running mate..
Nana Akufo-Addo who returned from abroad over the weekend had not been given prior notice of the engagement with the women, hence what a source described as the ambush.
The women were transported to the house in four "Kufuor Bus", wearing T-shirts with the image of the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama. As early as 6am, the women, numbering about thousand had surrounded Nana Akufo-Addo's neighbourhood amidst drumming, dancing and merry-making.
A woman, who spoke to the ADM, said they wanted to thank Nana Addo for his purported preference for Hajia Alima Mahama as his running mate.
"We are here to tell Nana Akufo-Addo that this is the time for a woman to be selected," she said. They may be referring here to the NPP, but even if Hajia Alima Mahama is selected as running mate, it would not be the first time. In 1992, Kwabena Darko of the National Independence Party (NIP) selected Professor Naa Aferley Sackeyfio as his running mate.
The woman who spoke to ADM yesterday said, "We also want to assure Nana of our support for a female running mate and encourage him to go in for Alima Mahama and not allow himself to be persuaded by the anti-Alima lobbyists within the NPP."
When Nana Addo came out of his room to speak to the women around 830am, he looked quite stunned by the huge crowd. He said he has worked with Hajia Alima and can attest to her capabilities, but "if the party says she is the one, I will take her."
He disclosed that the party would take the decision on who should partner him on Wednesday, 13th August. If she does not get the nod, Nana Akufo-Addo said, the party should not be divided.
He gave the example of the 2007 congress of the party and said though they had seventeen people vying for the same position; the party united after he got the nod.
The running mate would be show-cased to the entire party on Saturday August, 16 at the NPP National Conference to the held at Sekondi/Takoradi in the Western Region.
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