Afenyo-Markin urges NPP MPs to support anyone selected as Party's Running Mate

Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, has urged his colleague New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) to support whoever is eventually selected as the Party’s Running Mate for the December 7 general election.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps at his office in Parliament House in Accra, Mr. Afenyo-Markin appealed to his colleague NPP MPs, the rank and file of the party, that decisions regarding who would be the Running Mate to their Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, were decisions for certain organs of the party; saying “once such organs of the Party come out with the final decision, we are all to respect it.

“So, so far we haven’t heard anything officially from the Party. It is true that consultations are ongoing, we’ve all heard. We’ve heard names, all the names we are hearing are respected Party members, who have worked so hard for this great Party.”

The Majority Leader reiterated that it would be inappropriate for any person to call out an individual.

“Look, who is perfect? Who is perfect? Who can take all the punches? None of us can. Except God, our Creator. So, I will want to discourage coming out with certain attacks, how we describe people and all,” he stated.

“After all, in this game of politics, if destiny chooses you, it is like that. It doesn’t matter your height, age, whether you are a commoner, a royal, or so educated, or whether you are humble or whatever? Whether you are a stammerer or whether you are an orator? Whatever it is, if

God has chosen you, it is so. So, let’s all wait and ensure that the unity of the Party is maintained.”

He urged his colleague NPP MPs to take a cue from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying, “We have elections, just six months away, we are aware that when Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang was finally selected as the NDC’s running mate,…when the decision was finally announced all the others rallied around the decision and we didn’t hear a single soul in the NDC coming out publicly to say no. Because none is perfect.”

Mr. Afenyo-Markin underscored that no one was perfect, and that they only had to manage each other and look at what the person could bring onboard.

“We should look at the strength of the person, so that we will all do it together.

"So, again their colleagues, my respected Members of Parliament, let’s be mindful of what we say out there,” he said.

“If eventually the decision is made, and we are even against the decision, ours is to support the Party. That is what it is. We should not be seen going out there to be attacking the decision of the Party and for that matter, our flagbearer.”

GNA