Before we bring the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the passing of late President Mills to an end, it is important we take a look at all the past running mates of the great National Democratic Congress.
The party has produced 3 presidential candidates since 1992 namely Jerry John Rawlings, John Evans Atta Mills (both of blessed memory) and John Mahama. Unlike the NPP, all three became presidents of Ghana. The party has also produced 7 running mates in the last thirty years.
For purpose of this article we shall have a closer look at all seven running mates.
1. Kow Nkensen Arkaah
Kow Nkensen Arkaah partnered Jerry John Rawlings in the build up to the 1992 elections. Arkaah was then the leader of the National Convention Party (NCP) before he formed an alliance with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Jerry Rawlings, and Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) prior to the 1992 elections. He later became the Vice President after Rawlings won the election overwhelmingly. However, he fell out with Rawlings as he had a real difficult working relationship with him.
2. John Evans Attah Mills
After Rawlings ditched Kow Nkensen Arkaah, he went in for a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar Evans Fiifi Atta Mills in 1996 who later served as President of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the ruling party’s candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election. Unfortunately he died on 24 July 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, three days after his 68th birthday.
3. Martin Amidu
Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu has severed all ties with the NDC owing to new philosophies he now subscribes to. Before that, he was one of the key and important figures of the party who stood as running mate for the late former President, John Evans Fiifi Attah Mills in the build-up to the December 2000 presidential elections. They both however lost to former President John Kufuor that year. Amidu served as the Deputy Attorney-General for about the last four years of the Provisional National Defence Council military government.
4. Muhammad Mumuni
Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He left parliament in 2004 when he became John Atta Mills’ running mate. Unfortunately for the NDC John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the elections which was held on December 7, 2004.
5. John Dramani Mahama
John Dramani Mahama made his entry into the spotlight after the late John Evans Mills selected him as the running mate leading to the 2008 elections. Mills was certified as the victor in the run-off election on January 3, 2009, by a margin of less than one percent. It is to date the closest election in Ghanaian history. John Dramani was mandated by the constitution to be the President of Ghana following the sudden demise of the late President John Evans Attah Mills whiles in office.
6. Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur
Perhaps we are safe to say Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur provided the winning formular for John Dramani Mahama as NDC won the 2012 elections. Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur born William Edmund Davidson Amissah-Arthur was a Ghanaian economist, academic and politician who was the fifth Vice-President of Ghana’s 4th Republic, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. He died on 29 June 2018 at the 37 Military Hospital after reportedly collapsing at the Air Force Gym during his routine morning workout session.
7. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang
Naana Opoku Agyemang was selected by John Mahama as his running mate ahead of the 2020 general election. She is the first female running mate in a major political party and would had become the first female vice president in the history of Ghana if John Mahama had won 2020.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang is a veteran educationist and became the first female Vice Chancellor of a public university of Ghana when she was appointed to head University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2008. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was appointed to head the Ministry of Education in 2012 when John Dramani Mahama won power in the 2012 elections and she held the position until the party lost power in 2016.
Summary
1. NDC has had seven running mates in all
2. Two became flag bearers of the party at some point in time and subsequently presidents.
3. Out of the seven only one thus, Naana Opoku Agyemang was female.
4. There was one Muslim thus Mohammad Mumuni.
5. Three came from central region, two from northern region and one each from Upper East and Ashanti regions.
6. Four became vice presidents while three never tasted the 2nd gentleman of the state’s position.
7. Currently two are late.
Who amongst the six has been your greatest running mate? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts.
Credit: www.Ghgossip.com
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