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THERE SEEMS to be some level of apprehension in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over who gets to partner the party�s Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo as running mate for the 2012 general elections. A couple of names are making the rounds including those of Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, the running mate in 2008, Deputy Minority leader Ambrose Derry, Lepowura Alhaji M.N.D Jawula and Boniface Abubakar Sadique. But there is confusion among some key and influential members of the party over who gets the position. A recent visit to the Northern regional capital, Tamale, by Dr Bawumia, during which he met some party faithful and youth groups, has further heightened the tension. There are interpretations being read into it because he went in the company of National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Anthony Abayifa Karbo. Some members including the party�s Eastern and Upper West Regional Youth Organisers of the party, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and Mustapha Goveir think the conduct of Karbo was in bad taste. They were surprised that a person like Karbo who occupied a national position of the party would go out there and create the impression that the entire youth wing had given him the blessing to show open support for Bawumia. �We have nothing against Bawumia but we think that that conduct is out of place and that as a national officer he should not have done that because we have not given him our consent and it is not proper,� Annoh-Dompreh and Mustapha Goveir told DAILY GUIDE. Considering the fact that the selection of a running mate was at the discretion of the Presidential Candidate, in consultation with the party�s Council of Elders, he said, �Karbo cannot arrogate those powers to himself�, saying, �He is introducing an element of a contest� which was unnecessary. Irrespective of the fact that Dr Bawumia was selected the last time as running mate, Annoh-Dompreh said, �The circumstances are different. All the people should be analysed based on their merit and nobody should be above the other. So all national or elected officers must stay clear and the process should be given to the flagbearer and the national council.� These comments by the two youth organisers have made some of their colleague youth organisers who pleaded anonymity suggest they were pushing for Ambrose Derry as running mate Others have also wondered why Annoh-Dompreh, who is from Nana Addo�s home region, would want to go against Nana Addo�s choice of running mate if he indeed wanted to select Bawumia as his running mate since he had already been marketed. But Karbo has flatly denied campaigning for Bawumia, a person he calls a brother and friend. Apart from seeing nothing wrong with accompanying Bawumia to meet fellow party members, he insisted, �Bawumia did not go to the North to campaign, but if encouraging the youth in Tamale to have confidence in Nana Addo amounts to campaigning for the Veep position, then we must encourage Bawumia to do more.� �In any case, the decision of the party to select the Veep is very discretionary and no amount of campaigning can secure any of the interesting parties the slot,� he told the paper, emphasising, �The call by the two youth organisers is immature and extremely impotent.�