During a campaign tour by New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Chairman of the Bono Regional Council of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, advocated for the selection of a Bono native as the running mate for the ruling party.
The Dormaahene expressed concern that a strong push for a running mate from a specific region could potentially alienate voters from other regions and undermine the NPP’s electoral prospects.
He implored Dr. Bawumia to consider candidates from the Bono area, which he noted is abundant with potential candidates worthy of the position.
Dormaahene mentioned the likes of Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, MP for Techiman South; Ignatius Baffour Awuah, MP for Sunyani West; Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Dormaa Central MP; Mahama Afful, former MP for Jaman South; and Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC), Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, as worthy candidates who are also natives of the Bono area.
“The point I am making is that the person you will choose as your running mate, we in the Bono Region and to the extent Bono East, have an interest in it. We also want our people to be mentioned,” said Dormaahene.
Several names have surfaced, with a strong case being made for a candidate to be selected from the Ashanti Region, which is the party’s stronghold.
Nonetheless, some critics believe the search for the party’s running mate should transcend regional and ethnic factors.
In this piece, GhanaWeb brings you a profile of the political figures Dormaahene want Dr. Bawumia to consider as running mate
1. Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC)
The NPP Bono Regional Chairman holds a Postgraduate in International Relations and Diplomacy, a Bachelor of Law degree, a professional certificate in Criminal and Intelligence Gathering, a Masters in Energy Economics, and a Degree in Marketing just to mention a few.
Abronye DC indicated that he is pursuing another Master’s program at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.
He has been named by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a board member of the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
These are some of his qualifications: MBA in Petroleum Economics and Finance from Coventry University, UK; MSc Energy Economics from Gimpa; LLB Hons, KAAF University; LLM in ADR, University of Ghana, and Chartered Energy Economics from the Global Academy of Finance and Management, USA.
Kwaku Agyemang-Manu is a Ghanaian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central and the Minister of Health.
Agyemang-Manu is a Chartered Management Accountant and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics from the University of Ghana in 1989.
He was born on September 6, 1955, in Dormaa Ahenkro, Brong Ahafo Region now Bono Region. Agyemang-Manu served as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the immediate-past Parliament and was the acting CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority in 2006.
He was also the deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning under former President J.A Kuffuor’s administration (2001 to 2008), he served in various ministries as a Deputy Minister of State in the following Ministries: Trade and Industry, Interior, Finance, Communications, and Roads and Transport.
He has served on the Boards of institutions such as the Small Arms Commission of Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Bank of Ghana, and the Divestiture Implementation Committee.
President Nana Akufo-Addo named Kwaku Agyemang-Manu in May 2017, as part of nineteen ministers who would form his cabinet.
3. Martin Kwaku Adjei-Mensah Korsah
Martin Kwaku Adjei-Mensah Korsah, born on April 12, 1978, is a Ghanaian politician and Member of Parliament serving the Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He is currently the Deputy Minister for Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development.
Korsah is a member of the House committee and also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He completed his SSSCE in 1998 where he studied Government, History, and Christian Religious Studies.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2005 from the University of Ghana, and his master’s degree in Politics and International Relations in 2007.
Korsah was a basic school coordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES). He was also the presiding member of the Techiman Municipal Assembly.
He was also the Director of Elections and Research for the New Patriotic Party. He is a member of NPP and currently the MP for the Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region.
In the 2020 Ghana general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 49,682 votes making 50.24% of the total votes cast while the NDC parliamentary aspirant Christopher Beyere Baasongti had 49,205 votes making 49.76% of the total votes cast.
He was appointed as the deputy minister for Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development.
4. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah
Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, born 24 August 1966 in Okyerekrom, a Ghanaian politician is the Minister of Employment and Relations.
He joined the New Patriotic Party and was a member of President J. A Kufour’s government as a District Chief Executive of the Sunyani District Assembly.
He later became the deputy regional minister for the Brong-Ahafo region and subsequently became the regional minister under the same Kufour administration.
He ran for Member of Parliament for the Sunyani West constituency and won in the 2008 parliamentary elections.
His party, the NPP, however, lost the presidential election. He was re-elected as MP in the same constituency in 2012 and 2016.
He’s, therefore, the current MP of the Sunyani West constituency. He served as the deputy minority chief whip from 2013-2017.
In May 2017, the President named him as part of the nineteen ministers who would form his cabinet.
5. Yaw Afful
Yaw Afful is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Jaman South Constituency in the Brong-Ahafo Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
He was born on June 10, 1959, and is from Mpuasu, a town in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana.
He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Kennesaw University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and Political Science in 1997.
Afful was the CEO of EO, Kids Heaven Learning Centre in Acworth, Atlanta, in the US.
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