Did Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang confuse the NPP?

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is under pressure to campaign against the NDC running mate. The attempt to attack Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as a woman has led to several flaws since she was unveiled.

“You don’t need a title to be a leader. You lead by example.” This is according to Jamie Woodburn, Marketing and Communications Manager with Workforce Strategies, Inc.

Since the NDC named Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as the running mate of John Dramani Mahama, she has become the invisible target of the ruling NPP as they work hard to ridicule her capabilities.

For now, every effort has backfired. The last resort is to attack her as a woman and to rain insults on her.

To doubt the ability of a woman to be president or vice president of Ghana is to say that women are not good enough to rise to the top in Ghana politics. This is the time to make Ghana’s effort at giving women more room to rise through affirmative action a reality.

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” These words of Dolly Parton resonate with the dreams and aspirations of Professor. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.

Hon. Ursula Owusu has called on the NPP not to attack prof as a woman but rather what she achieved and failed to whiles holding a political post as a minister. The same woman is of the view that Prof cannot make up for Mahama’s inadequacies.

This viewpoint by Ursula Owusu is a fallacy. In as much as the NPP may want Ghanaians to believe this, she would surely disagree that Bawumia does not add to Nana Addo and deal with his inadequacies as a candidate.

READ: NDC vs EC: Akufo-Addo called Chief Justice and told him what to do – Kelvin Taylor

Yes, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman is not the one on the ballot box and so is Bawumia. Let us give women their place in Ghana politics at the highest level.

Chairman Wuntomi has joined the likes of the majority leader in parliament to attack her as a woman. Wuntomi in on record to have called her a witch. The majority leader has indicated that she has no quality to become the president of Ghana.

However, the framers of the 1992 constitution indicated in Article 62 that a candidate for the post of a President must be at least 40 years and of sound mind.

According to Chapter 8, Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, a person shall not be qualified for election as the president of Ghana unless:

• (a) he/she is a citizen of Ghana by birth

• (b) he/she has attained the age of forty years; and

• (c) he/she is a person who is otherwise qualified to beelected a Member of Parliament

There are no special requirements apart from this to qualify a woman or a man for the post of leadership as president of Ghana.

This article, therefore, defeats the attempt to run the NDC running mate down by the NPP. party and its supporters at all levels.

Since the independence of Ghana in 1957, no woman has come close to becoming the vice president of Ghana although other smaller parties with no chance or winning elections in Ghana have named women as their running mates in the past.

The NDCs running mate choice might have quashed and made useless the long tail of corruption allegations the NPP might have pitched against all potentials male candidates to reduce what they bring to the VIP ticket.

For the NPP faithful’s who cannot see a woman becoming a vice president in Ghana, this is the time to brace for reality.

Ghanaian women have contributed to Ghana’s body politics, economy, work and development in diverse fields.

Being the largest population by sex, it is important that they have a representative at the topmost level of decision making in Ghana.

This is one sure way forward to help the government better appreciate their needs and challenges and to offer a women-centered approach to decision making.

Give women a chance, they are the original helpmates from the garden of Eden and it’s their turn at the strategic level of governance in Ghana.

Source: Electionsinghana| Kay Manu