By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra,June 16, GNA – Some supporters and sympathisers of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia Friday morning massed up at the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Headquarters awaiting the filing of his nomination for the NPP presidential primary.
Some of the supporters are holding banners and placards with inscriptions “Bawumia for President”, “Bawumia to break the 8″, Mr Digital Man”, ‘Zongo United for Bawumia”,”Friends of Bawumia and “Yilo Krobo for Bawumia”.
They are also in T-shirts with the portrait of Dr Bawumia on them and dancing to party songs touting the achievements of the ruling government.
The Vice President will today, June 16, 2023, file his nomination to contest the Party’s presidential primary.
On his Facebook page, Dr Bawumia wrote:”Dear Friends, God willing tomorrow, Friday 16 June, I shall file my nomination forms and contest the New Patriotic Party (NPP: Development in Freedom) Presidential Primary. It is possible”.
Over the last couple of months, Dr Bawumia had reportedly engaged some stakeholders on his ambition to contest the Party’s flagbearership.
The Vice President met members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament, Council of Elders of the Party and some traditional and religious leaders to announce his intentions to lead the NPP after the tenure of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2025.
Subsequently Mr Fred Oware, a Senior Advisor at the Office of the Vice President, led a delegation to pick the nomination form on behalf of Dr Bawumia on Tuesday, May 30, at the Party’s Headquarters.
The leadership of the Party on May 26, 2023, opened nominations for the presidential primary, which would be closed on June 24, 2023.
So far, 10 presidential aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest the Party’s flagbearer slot.
They include Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the immediate past Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Joe Ghartey, the Member of Parliament for Essikadu-Ketan and former Minister of Railway Development and Kwabena Adjei Agyapong, a former General-Secretary of the Party.
The leadership of the NPP intends to organise a Special Delegates Congress on August 26, 2023, to select five of the aspirants.
The top five aspirants will then go head-to-head on December 4, 2023, to stake claim to the flagbearer slot, and subsequently lead the Party in the 2024 General Election.
GNA