Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has opened up on whether or not he intends to succeed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and to lead the New Patriotic Party, NPP, into the 2024 polls.
In an interview with Kenyan private TV channel, KTN News, Bawumia said he was committed to supporting the president to deliver on his plans and policies for now.
He stated that 2024, which is an election year, is not on the top most agenda of the government adding that the Akufo-Addo led administration is focused on bringing relief to Ghanaians.
“I think right now, I’m just focused on helping my boss the president Nana Akufo-Addo fulfil his vision and deliver on his agenda. We don’t really have too much time for thinking about 2024 right now. I think that if you get to 2024 and you don’t have a record, you will have nothing to campaign on. So right now, we are focused on that and we don’t know what the future holds but we will focus on the work for now,” Bawumia said.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to select a flagbearer next year to lead it into the 2024 elections in which it hopes to ‘break the 8’ – a term which the party has coined in its desire break the 8-year power cycle between itself and the main opposition National Democratic Congress under the Fourth Republic.
Some names that have come up strongly in the race includes Bawumia, Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen; Agric Minister Dr. Afriyie Osei Akoto, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong and former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong.
President Akufo-Addo has expressed optimism that despite all the economic challenges the government is faced with, in the “short term” the IMF solution it has initiated will help turn around the economy before 2024.