Mahama ‘rejects’ Kwesi Botchwey as running mate
Incontrovertible information gathered by the Ghana Report has it that former President, John Mahama, has rejected a proposal by some top persons within the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to name former Finance Minister, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey as his running mate for election 2020.
The Graphic Online on Monday put out a publication alleging that the NDC flagbearer had settled on Prof. Botchwey to partner him in the 2020 presidential election.
But in a rather swift response to the claim, Mr. Mahama refuted it on his official twitter account on Monday August 19, 2019.
He said, “Fake News.
The Daily Graphic report of the selection of a running mate is false.”
The NDC Presidential Candidate, according to our source is said to have rejected the proposal by the top shots on grounds that Mr. Botchwey is old (76 years) and that both Mr. Mahama and the party are looking for a relatively younger person who could be nurtured and efficiently ‘marketed’ for elections beyond the 2020 polls.
There is also a strong perception among some power brokers that the NDC flagbearer turned down Prof. Botchwey’s bid as running mate because he chaired a committee that wrote a damning report on him (Mahama) after the party lost political power to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2016 general election.
The NDC power brokers, according to TGR sources, were hoping to get a running mate with an economic and finance background to counter the ‘threat’ of Vice President Bawumia in next year’s presidential election.
Prof. Botchwey, who is the longest serving Finance Secretary under the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime, insiders say, remains out of the good books of the former president because of the ‘Kwesi Botchwey Report’.
The report gave a detailed account of contributing factors that led to the humiliating defeat of the NDC in the 2016 elections.
It levelled a number of allegations against the former president describing him as having acted as a movie star and not a politician in the 2016 electioneering period; not having a campaign message; failing to campaign at dawn; allegations of widespread corruption against his government as well as harsh statements made against Ghanaians by him.
“John Mahama doesn’t want to go with Prof. Kwesi Botchwey because of the report that he led a team to present to the party. I don’t think what came out of the report were his personal views but represents majority of NDC members,” a source within the NDC disclosed to The Ghana Report.
The names of former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; former Attorney General and Education Minister, Betty Mould Iddrisu; her brother, Alex Mould, who once headed the Volta River Authority (VRA) have been bandied around as probable persons who are likely to partner the NDC flagbearer in next years’ polls.
Other notable names are former Education Minister, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiamah as well as Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, General Secretary of the NDC.
Mr. Asiedu Nketiah, popularly known as ‘General Mosquito’ without mincing words said he deserves the running mate position of the umbrella party ahead of next year’s polls.
He told The Ghana Report recently that he has served the party in various capacities and will accept the position if their Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama and the Council of Elders settle on him.
“Who doesn’t want this position? I have served in various capacities within the NDC and so if it is offered me, I’ll gladly accept it…I don’t think I will object to it,” Asiedu Nketiah stated emphatically.
Per the party’s constitution, the flagbearer in selecting a running mate has to consult the Council of Elders of the party to present his choice to them for deliberation on the candidate and if accepted could go ahead to announce it officially.