Women’s Organisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Greater Accra Region have appealed to the flag bearer of the party to appoint a female running.
They want Dr. Bawumia to particularly focus on the Greater Accra Region and select the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Irene Naa Torshie Addo-Lartey.
However, they would also prefer any of the females whose names have surfaced as potential choices to be given the chance to partner with Dr. Bawumia, who is yet to name his running mate.
The Women Organisers in the Greater Accra Region held a press conference on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Accra, where the Deputy Regional Organiser, Perpetual Asante, supported by her boss, Madam Charity and others, pleaded with the NPP flagbearer to consider Naa Torshie.
“We plead with you, consider Irene Naa Torshie. She can and she is capable. She has done it before as a member of Parliament. Today, she is holding the [District Assemblies] Common Fund firmly and she is helping local governance,” she said, and also mentioned the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and the Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, as other potential women who can also partner with the NPP flag bearer.
WOMEN PARTICIPATION
According to the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Women Organiser, Perpetual Asante, the impact of women is felt in every sphere of life and the political environment in Ghana is no exception.
He made the point that, selecting a woman as the running mate would empower women to participate in the governance of the nation, which hitherto seemed more like a terrain for men.
In a time of continuous advocacy for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill, the women acknowledged that the time had come for them to be given the chance to hold that high office.
“We are speaking for all women. We have all the females who have shown interest in being Dr. Bawumia’s running mate. Our message is simple. We plead with Dr. Bawumia to consider women. We won’t force Dr. Bawumia and we won’t force the party. But we believe it is better to give women the chance,” she said.
BREAKING THE 8
The women assured the rank and file of the NPP that, with them and a female running mate, breaking the eight-year cycle of political terms would be much easier.
They expressed confidence that with a female running mate, all women would unite to preach the message of the party in markets and every corner to canvass more votes to aid in making the breaking the eight agenda possible.
“Breaking the eight has never happened. But we are assuring you that it is possible. We are going to break the eight because when women are involved, things work perfectly. We, the women, will not keep silent because President Akufo-Addo has done his best,” Madam Perpetual said, while recounting Akufo-Addo’s achievements.
This is not the first a group that is calling on Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to select a female as his running mate. Religious leaders, queen mothers, market women and a host of others have all, in various ways, appealed to the decision-maker, Dr. Bawumia, to consider selecting a female.
ADVOCACY
However, Dr. Bawumia, at an event recently, acknowledged the role of women and advocated their empowerment and inclusion.
He was speaking at the Female CEOs Summit in Accra on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 where he said that women are “naturally talented and enterprising” and play “indispensable roles” in national development, adding that empowering them will have a significant impact on the development of the country in many areas.
According to him, there should be effective policies to ensure adequate women’s inclusion to harness their talents, particularly as Ghana embraces the 4th industrial revolution.
“The contribution of women in our national development, across all sectors, is massive. We have to include them more, and Ghana will be the beneficiary as a country,” Dr. Bawumia said.
Meanwhile, it is not known whether the flag bearer, Dr. Bawumia, will heed the plea of the Women Organisers of the Greater Accra Region, the home region of Irene Naa Torshie, and consider selecting a female as a running mate.
