A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tamale has counseled Nana Akufo Addo on who to pick as his running mate, demanding that such a person must belong to both the Zongo community and the Northern regions.
In a statement, Alhaji Lukman Bamba, the cleric, pointed out that �our huge task is the mobilization of the Zongo communities in all parts of the country, virgin, floating or the undecided alike segment of the electorate.�
The need to harness the votes of people of Northern origin who are scattered all over the country when put together to make a whole region cannot be overlooked, he pointed out.
While expressing gratitude to the flagbearer for keeping faith with the party�s standard of a South/North ticket or vice versa, he asked that the running mate must be one who can speak Hausa and identify with Islamic traditions and customs.
According to him, the running mate must be a committed party man, have a national appeal, experience and track record and above all a Muslim/Northerner and Zongo person.
Continuing the Alhaji Bamba said �such a person must be humble, down to earth, cut across many ethnic lines and rise to the task of effectively mobilizing the significant numbers of Zongo electorates.�
Recalling the history of the NPP, he stated that the Zongos and the Northern regions belong more to the party than any other party given the fact that the Northern People�s Party (NPP), the Muslim Party (Islam) amalgamated with the NLM to forge a United Party (UP).
�It stands to reason that the Zongos should have been tilting towards our party than the NDC,� he pointed out.
Much was not done in the past to recapture this important constituent for the party and the time to do this is now. The issue of a running mate has attracted a broad spectrum of Ghanaians and so it must be handled well so that the party can derive maximum dividends from the emanating choice, he stated.
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