<<Print>>

It seems contrary to the machinations of some kingpins within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to snatch his job ahead of the 2016 elections, latest information reaching The aL-hAJJ suggests that vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoi Amissah Arthur is reluctant to surrender his position to anybody, vowing to stay put and partner President John Dramani Mahama again into the next presidential election. In what looks like having been shaken from his slumber by some top brass within the ruling party including "maturing babies with sharp teeth" earnestly working behind the scenes to occupy his post, latest available indications are that the genteel former Bank of Ghana Governor is very much interested and committed to partnering President to secure a second term in office. This is contrast to media reports suggesting President Mahama has firmed up on decision to jilt Amissah Arthur for one of the numerous NDC names being bandied around in the media as jostling for the second most coveted post of the land. Foreign Affairs Minister, Madam Hannah Serwah Tetteh; Communications Minister, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah; Energy and Petroleum Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah; Minister of State at the Presidency, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and Chief Executive of Ghana Health Insurance Authority Sylvester Mensah, have all been cited as interested in replacing Veep Amissah Arthur for the 2016 polls. Even though some of the aforementioned vice presidential hopefuls have rubbished harboring such ambition, some are not very clear on their positions while others have maintained a loud silence. Indeed, sources close to some of the NDC officials said to be eyeing the Veep�s job in various dispatches, admitted the �might� of Amissah Arthur and the herculean task of stepping into his �shoes�. However, they say �it will all depend on the decisions both President Mahama and Vice president Amissah Arthur will make going into the future�. To dim the effect of those pressing the pedal for his ouster, according to our Flagstaff House sources, Amissah Arthur in the coming days will begin to assert his authority as the second in command and take up more responsibilities just as his boss President Mahama was allowed under the presidency of the late President Mills. For the first time in many months since he was entrusted with the number two position, the hitherto almost anonymous Vice president Amissah Arthur has indeed over the past few weeks been adequately representing his boss to what Flagstaff House source say �to the admiration of President Mahama�. Conversely, other sources close to the seat of government told The aL-hAJJ that, �Ghanaians would henceforth be seeing more of the media-shy former Governor of Ghana�s Central bank turned vice president�. "I say Ghanaians will now be seeing the worth of His Excellency Amisssah Arthur, who previously didn't want to be seen rivaling or overshadowing his boss or do anything to suggest he is an overambitious fellow, but now that the president has given him the all-clear order, wait and see,� a source revealed. Likewise, another source told The aL-hAJJ that president Mahama has also firmed up his decision to make his vice more visible by assigning him more and free roles just as he benefitted from the late president Atta Mills. The thumps up Amissah Arthur received from President Mahama on his return from a recent sojourn to the United States and the veep�s sudden noticeable exploits is said to have further persuaded many of the NDC vice presidential hopefuls to begin revising their ambitions. Unlike the bizarre situation during the reign of ex-president Kufuor when the Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani was seen to be wielding more power and influence than then sitting vice president Alhaji Aliu Mahama, President Mahama was allowed more space to �shine� as Veep under the late president Mills. Thus, with political candor, President Mahama himself told the chief and people of Cape Coast in the wake of the agonizing death of Professor Mills that his late boss and mentor (Mills) gave him a �blank cheque� to perform as his number two for which reason he said, he was the luckiest vice president in world history. �He trained me very well and gave me all the opportunities, such as head of Economic Management Team and chairman of Police Council among others, which made me the luckiest vice-president in the world,� President Mahama told chiefs of Oguaa. Drawing inspiration from this, President Mahama is said to have resolved in the coming days to replicate exactly the honor his late boss did him by proving Veep Amissah Arthur with all the opportunities to also �shine�.