[ 2012-08-03 ]

Amissah-Arthur is a gamble for NDC-Victor Smith
The Eastern Regional Minister Emmanuel Victor
Smith has stated that, the National Democratic
Congress will be gambling in this year’s elections
if the party presents the Governor of the Bank of
Ghana, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as Running to
President John Mahama.

Mr. Smith noted this year’s elections are crucial
to the party hence the party cannot afford to
gamble with its fortunes in the December polls by
presenting a running mate who does not have the
edge in mobilizing the grassroots.

He said a running mate should automatically
possess the qualities of president.

According to him, Mr. Amisah-Arthur may be a good
administrator but he does not have the urge to
move crowd and increase the NDC votes in this
year’s election.

Mr. Victor Smith, who is also the NDC’s candidate
for Abuakwau North constituency, was speaking in
an interview with Asempa Fm’s correspondent
Maxwell Kudekor in Koforidua on the nomination of
the Governor of Bank of Ghana as the Vice
President of the country.

He said the president has not announced to the NDC
that Mr. Amissah-Arthur will be his running mate.
He claimed Mr. Amissah-Arthur was nominated to
help the President to complete the unexpired term
of the former president Prof. J.E.A Mills, who
passed on last week Tuesday, July 24th 2012.

He noted that, president John Dramani Mahama
himself has not been confirmed as the flagbearer
so he cannot nominate a running mate. The minister
noted that, the party will go to congress in
September and confirm President John Mahama as the
flagbearer after which he can name his running
mate.

‘I’m not comfortable, I can tell you clearly. I
have made that point to leadership. Amissah-Arthur
for the longer time is a weakness. It will not
help us the way I see politics has been done in
this country. We need somebody who will bring us a
lot of votes, a person to complement the
president, John Mahama has a lot of ground support
but you need to partner him with another strong
person who can excite people’, Victor Smith said
affectionately.

‘If you ask this guy to go, I can tell you then we
are gambling, then we have reached the gambling
stage’ he reiterated.

Mr. Victor Smith noted that, there are many
competent politicians who can partner the
president in the elections and help win massively
than the governor.

Without ridiculing the competence of Mr.
Amisah-Arthur, he noted that, if the party wants
to tap his knowledge, they should keep him in the
office to run government business while the
president goes on field with a running mate who
can pull floating voters.

‘Someone may ask whether I am interested in the
position of a running mate, I may aspire high in
my political carrier, but I’m not saying it should
compulsorily be me. There are other people who can
fit into the partnership we are looking for’ Mr.
Smith noted.

Source - Asempafm

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