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�It is too early in the day,� one of the flag-bearer aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Kwadwo Alan Kyerematen, said when he was contacted on the subject of his running mate should he win the position of the flag bearer of his party. However, as the Special Delegates Conference of the NPP draws closer, some nine names that are being considered by his campaign team have emerged as possible running mates of Mr Alan John Kyerematen. A source close to the flag-bearer aspirant, who has been dubbed �John the Fifth,� shared this insight with the Daily Graphic in Accra Wednesday and said one of the nine under serious consideration is Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the running mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who has led the NPP on two occasions for the 2008 and 2012 elections. Credentials Already, Dr Bawumia, whose credentials are flying so high within the NPP corridors and politics in Ghana, is highly tipped once again to partner Nana Akufo-Addo as his running mate for the third time, if Nana Akufo-Addo succeeds to become the flag bearer of the NPP for the 2016 polls. �The possibility of Dr Bawumia partnering �John the Fifth�, also known as Alan Cash, is another sign of Alan's penchant for unity within the party and his desire to work with all factions in it,� the source pointed out. The source further mentioned Professor Abena Busia, the daughter of Professor K. A. Busia, the Prime Minister in the Second Republic, as another strong prospect. �She is currently a lecturer in the United States and is a good prospect for the position because of her extensive international experience, as well as her good political and academic pedigree,� the source stated. More considerations Another person being strongly considered is Mr Ayikoi Otoo, among other things, famous for his tactful plea in rescue of Hopeson Adoye and Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John) from possible jail sentences during the landmark Election 2012 Supreme Court Petition. Mr Otoo, a legal luminary, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice and until recently the Head of the NPP's Legal Committee, is seen as a level-headed academic and likeable across the political divide. He is regarded not only as an asset in the campaign to win power but also as being vital in prosecuting the national agenda, the source stressed. The young tactful former MP for Salaga and former Minister of Manpower and Employment, Boniface Sadiqque, is also featuring prominently on this list. He is seen as a very good politician with a special close relationship with the Zongo communities. He is the person to galvanise support for the candidate in the large Muslim voter population. Also listed is the MP for Sekondi, Mr Papa Owusu Ankomah. He served variously in the past as Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Minster of Interior, Minister of Trade & Industry, and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports during President J. A. Kufuor�s administration. He also contested the party�s flag-bearer position in 2007. A former Lawra Nandom MP, former Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament and once Regional Minister for the Upper West, Mr Ambrose Dery, has not been left out. He is one of the much respected senior members of the party. He also served as Deputy Attorney General under former President Kufuor. There is another strong member of the party in the Sefwi area, where his philanthropic deeds makes him stand out tall among the people, Dr Kwaku Afriyie. A former Minister of Interior, Health and Mines at different times under the Kufuor administration, he is an indispensable member of the team that helped build NPP�s strength in the Sefwi area. Stalwart Also being highly considered is a lecturer at the Department of Development Studies, University of Cape Coast and a long-time stalwart of the party in the Volta Region, Dr Patrick Agbeinyale. A young dynamic American-trained Management consultant, Kofi Adda, also former MP for Navrongo Central, has his name on the list. He has held two ministerial positions- Minister of Energy and then Minister for Manpower and Employment. Mr Daniel Kweku Oppong, a member of the Alan Campaign Team, would neither deny nor confirm the nine names under consideration, but when told of the names, he simply stated that �all the nine distinguished personalities are partners worth considering.�