Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kwadaso Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, has intimated that it is custom for MPs to accompany the President or Vice to the podium at any official function.
Speaking on assertions that the MPs were supporting Bawumia’s flagbearship bid, he noted that it is wrong for anyone to say MPs are in support of the Vice President’s flagbearership bid, especially at a time where nominations have not been opened for the party’s internal contest.
“You know MPs always rise to escort the President to the platform when he is coming for an event and I think this is not something new. The Vice President came to the conference and we rose to walk him to the podium and that is just what happened and nothing more. Escorting him at the conference doesn’t mean we were supporting him”.
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko
According to him, walking someone to the podium does not mean you support the individual or they will even win an election.
His comments is as a result of MPs at the Heroes Park rising to escort the Vice President to the podium at the NPP’s delegates conference held in the Ashanti Region over the weekend. This was interpreted as they (MPs) showing support for Dr. Bawumia’s candidature for the flagbearer.
Focus on positives of conference
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko urged Ghanaians to rather focus on the positives of the delegates’ conference rather than focus on who walked Dr. Bawumia to the podium.
“We need to focus on the important things and leave the rest. It is not time to discuss who will lead the party in the next election yet. There are important matters at heart and those are what we need to focus on if we want the government to succeed, hence national development”.
Dr. Kingsley Nyarko
The NPP is yet to open nominations for the position of a flagbearer, however, the Vice-President’s name and a few others such as the former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko, Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen, former Railways Minister Joe Ghartey, and the Agric Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto are already making rounds as contenders.
Prior to Dr. Nyarko’s arguments on MPs support to the Vice President, Mr. Yaw Buaben Asamoah, Director of Communication for NPP dismissed assertions suggesting that there is a general acceptance of the Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the next flagbearer of the party.
The Communications Director of the NPP noted that all flagbearer aspirants will be given a levelled ground to compete. He mentioned that this is not the first time a Vice-President is contesting for the leadership of the party, citing the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama who contested in the 2007 primaries of the NPP, though he didn’t win.
“And so, as a sitting Vice-President he was enabled by our rules, which allow anybody and everybody to also contest. As sitting Vice-President, he didn’t have to resign or anything of that sort, so our rules are resilient enough to take care of all the contestants who want to”.
Yaw Buaben Asamoah
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