Alan-Bawumia ticket is ‘rubbish, childish symbolism’ – Kwesi Pratt on Akomea’s proposal

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has critiqued a recent proposal by Nana Akomea, calling for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen to team up for 2024 general elections.

Speaking on Metro TV program, Good Morning Ghana, the veteran journalist opined that the basis of the proposal was worrying as it sought to deepen divisions in the society.

He described the usual north and south pairing as a childish symbolism that was useless.

Kwesi Pratt argued that the late President Jerry John Rawlings also won elections with a South-South ticket.

He maintained that the proposal of Nana Akomea to see an Alan-Bawumia ticket for the NPP ahead of the 2024 elections was only a pipedream.

“My good friend Nana Akomea thinks that just by putting Alan Kyerematen and Bawumia together on the same ticket NPP can improve it chances. I think that it’s a complete pipedream.

“It is complete pipedream because it is based on using of symbolism as a tool for political campaign. Put one Christian, put one Muslim together and then all Muslims and Christians will vote for you. It doesn’t happen in real life.

“That is childish symbolism. Put one northerner together with a southerner and then southerners and northerners will vote for you. It is rubbish. It is empty symbolism [for NPP to pair Muslim-Christians] which does not express the concrete needs and aspirations of the people.

“In the final analysis what it does is that it deepens divisions in our society. It accentuates divisions in our society,” he said.

Background

Nana Akomea, in an interview with Accra-based Citi TV, said that the NPP should reach a consensus and have Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Alan Kyerematen on the party’s ticket.

He suggested that the pairing fits the required geographic combination which has become characteristic of party tickets for elections.

“The party should be able to have a consensus and have the two leading candidates, run together. For a very simple reason, for the first time, the two leading candidates satisfy the North-South divide.

“If Alan won, he is most likely to choose a candidate from the North, if Bawumia won, he is most likely to choose a candidate from the South. It is going to resolve an acrimonious situation that the party may not be able to recover from.

“I would want a certain consensus to be built within the party to have the two of them run together. As to who becomes running mate, we should leave it to them once the party feels that is the way should go,” he said.