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Mahama to name running mate in September
Accra, Aug. 26, GNA – Dr. Edward Nasigrie
Mahama, flag bearer of the People’s National Convention
(PNC), on Tuesday announced that he would name his running
mate in September and said the his choice would come from
southern Ghana.
He said his running mate would be selected from the Brong
Ahafo, Volta, Greater Accra or Ashanti regions to balance
the political landscape as these four regions had been left
out of mainstream political activity for Election 2008.
The PNC flag bearer told the Ghana News Agency in an
interview that, “in our party we view leadership as the
servant of the people and my running mate should have the
temperament, ability to listen and complement the President
in all spheres of governorship.”
He said: “My selection of a running mate is being guided by
my declared intention to form a cabinet with 50 per cent
gender sensitivity. The nation is ripe for a woman to be at
the helm of political leadership.”
Dr Mahama said voting in Election 2008 should focus on
issues and the credibility of leadership instead of merely
the savour of a political party, empty promises, emotional
gymnastics and fanfare.
He urged the electorate and the media to scrutinize all the
flag bearers objectively on their ability to deliver,
personality credentials and accomplishments, the genuineness
of their messages and their international credibility.
“We should be careful about leaders with doubtful character,
fraudulent and criminal image in the mind of right thinking
people. Ghana deserves a leader who would project the image
of the nation among the community of nations,” he said.
On the recent poll conducted by the National Commission for
Civic Education (NCCE) which placed the PNC a distant
fourth, Dr. Mahama said: “I am encouraged by the result of
the poll as it calls for hard work and reveals that the PNC
has made progress in projecting issues based politics in the
country. What is left is to link the party with the
projection.”
The NCCE survey statistics indicated that out of sample size
of 5,520 respondents, 2,360 representing
42.9 per cent supported the main opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC) to win the December general
elections.
The New Patriotic Party was rated second with 2,341
respondents, representing 42.6 per cent. The Convention
People’s Party picked the third spot with 345 respondents
representing 6.3 per cent and the PNC was rated fourth with
only 60 respondents representing 1.1 per cent.
Dr. Mahama said: “We are the only party that has focused on
the thematic areas that the Ghanaian electorate are calling
for – education, health care, agriculture, women and
children, economy, youth development, national security,
corruption, housing and social welfare.”
He said they needed to make more copies of their manifesto
available to the people and propagandists who say that “even
though we have a fine message we cannot win the elections”.
“We are capable of winning the election and offer good
leadership,” Dr Mahama said.
He said the PNC was offering Ghanaians leadership focusing
on national agenda instead of personality agenda.
“Other flag bearers just copy our manifesto and our message
and stand at the rooftops and announce it as their own, this
is deceptive politics. We marketed the National Health
Insurance, school feeding programme and the like. They
hijack it without acknowledging its origin.
“Now we have talked about one computer to each child,
university in each region and much more human centred
policies. Our opponents have picked them and are now moving
around with these issues.”
He called on the electorate to vote for a PNC-led government
for real change in the fortune of national development.
“They (NPP) have not been able to move the country forward
in the past eight years when they assumed leadership with
fresh men. Now with tired hands, it would a political
disaster to renew their mandate.”
Dr. Mahama said Ghana and Africa needed fresh leaders with
courage, determination, track record of accomplishment, and
clean image to stand up and be counted within the community
of international leadership without looking behind.
GNA
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