Leading figures in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) supported Ambrose Dery to be Nana Akufo-Addo’s running partner in the 2008 election.
A book named “The President Ghana Never Got” revealed this.
Award-winning Ghanaian investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s book claims that because Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was only well-known as a talented banker and economist, party insiders fiercely opposed Akufo-Addo’s choice of him as running mate.
Dr. Bawumia was the running mate that then-candidate Akufo-Addo had in mind, although Ambrose Dery was considered a stronger choice by certain party officials.
They saw Dr. Bawumia as a dull banker who couldn’t express his opinions clearly or convince people to vote for the party, while they saw Mr. Dery as a shrewd politician who could thrill and occasionally energize voters.
Additionally, they contended that Mr. Dery was the ideal choice for Akufo-Addo to have representation from the North. Akufo-Addo, though, stuck to his guns.
The NPP leader came under increasing pressure to switch up his running mate after the party lost the election. Akufo-Addo is alleged to have stuck to his decision, nevertheless.
The book reads:
“Ambrose Dery is a lawyer, and I am a lawyer. I want someone with an economics background to complement me. I will do the politics and he will do the technical things,” Akufo-Addo reportedly told a current cabinet minister who was also an MP when the MPs clamoured for Ambrose Dery,
“I don’t want to blame my loss on that young man. If I change him, I’ll put the blame on him,”
Akufo-Addo didn’t want to seem unfair, as Bawumia had resigned from the Central Bank to be his running mate. Changing him would have been unjust. After the 2012 election loss, no politician wanted to testify in court except Bawumia. His impressive performance under questioning against Tsatsu Tsikata during the election petitions convinced the party that he was the best choice for running mate.
The book added:
“Mounting the witness box could destroy a politician forever, and the party appreciated Dr Bawumia for taking the risk on its behalf. But Dr Bawumia’s stature in the party soared not only because he witnessed. He dazzled members of his party with his brilliance in the witness box.
Read Also: We Didn’t Even Back Bawumia As Akufo-Addo’s Mate – Ohene Ntow
