Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mahama Ayariga says NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama is running out of excuses for not naming his running mate.
John Mahama was elected Flagbearer of the NDC in 2019 but he is yet to announce a running mate.
With just over 8 months to the general elections, John Mahama in a recent address said naming his running mate now will not be beneficial to the party.
He said the focus of all Ghanaians is winning the fight against COVID-19 and naming a running mate now will mean he can’t outdoor him because the entire nation’s focus is on the pandemic.
He went on to say that he has a firm idea who his running mate will be and at the appropriate time he will name the person.
Mr Ayariga believes that they are racing against time and Mr Mahama may run out of excuses as to why he has delayed in naming his running mate.
” Our flagbearer should have nominated a running mate by now, he has had a lot of time, he is the candidate for the main opposition party and was elected a long time, he should have nominated someone by now. I can’t explain why up till now he has not announced a running mate, that is his prerogative to decide who becomes his running mate. Some of us had conversations with him last year and we were sure he would do this in the first quarter of this year then COVID-19 surfaced and disrupted the whole process. After a while he will lose the sympathy of COVID-19 as an excuse, I think there has been a delay and as soon as possible he should name someone,” he said on Joy News.
Mahama in an address last month said: “I have a fair idea who my running mate is, we are not late in naming my running mate, what is the use of naming the person in the midst of COVID, we can’t outdoor him/her now as we are all fighting COVID-19, so at the appropriate time we will do that. But I can assure you he will be someone that will help to transform this nation when I become President come January 2021”.
In March Mahama had to deny reports that he had appointed Professor Kwesi Botchwey as his running mate for the 2020 general elections.
Mr Botchwey has been strongly tipped to become the running mate to John Mahama.
General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia also says he will not turn down an opportunity to be the running mate to John Mahama for the 2020 elections.
