John Dramani Mahama, the presidential nominee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is poised to announce Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as his vice-presidential candidate for the critical December 7, 2024, presidential elections.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang, who served as Education Minister during Mahama’s previous administration, previously partnered with Mahama in the 2020 election bid, which did not result in a victory.
This decision signifies the NDC’s continued preference for selecting their vice-presidential candidate from the Central Region, a tradition maintained since 2012. Professor Opoku-Agyemang’s selection marks a notable moment in NDC’s history under the 4th Republic, reflecting a strategy of consistency in candidate selection similar to former President Jerry John Rawlings’ varying choices of running mates during his tenure.
Mahama, preparing for his fourth presidential contest, previously won the 2012 election with Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and lost the subsequent 2016 and 2020 elections, the latter with Professor Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate.
Following Amissah-Arthur’s death in 2018, Mahama’s choice of Naana Opoku-Agyemang in 2020 was a significant shift, now continued into the 2024 race.
The selection process had initially considered candidates from three regions: Central, Eastern, and Ashanti, with Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang emerging as the preferred choice from the Central Region.
Despite the NDC’s defeat in the Central Region and nationally in 2020 with her on the ticket, the party has decided to maintain her as the running mate.
