Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang recently made history when she became the first female to be selected as a running mate by any political party.

In view of that, let’s take a look at all the other running mates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and what they brought on board.

1. Kow Nkensen Arkaah

Kow Nkensen Arkaah partnered Jerry John Rawlings in the build up to the 1992 elections. Arkaah was then the leader of the National Convention Party (NCP) before he formed an alliance with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Jerry Rawlings, and Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) prior to the 1992 elections. He later became the Vice President after Rawlings won the election overwhelmingly. However, he fell out with Rawlings as he had a really difficult working relationship with him.

2. John Evans Attah Mills

After Rawlings ditched Kow Nkensen Arkaah, he went in for Ghanaian politician and legal scholar Evans Fiifi Atta Mills in 1996 who later served as President of Ghana from 2009 to 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election. Unfortunately he died on 24 July 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, three days after his 68th birthday. Though the cause of death was not immediately released, he had been suffering from throat cancer and had recently been to the US for medical reasons.

Announcing his death, his office noted that he died hours after being taken ill, but a presidential aide said that he had complained of pains the day prior to his death. However, Mills’ brother, Dr. Cadman Mills later disclosed during the graveside service that he had died from complications of a massive hemorrhagic stroke resulting from brain aneurysm.

3. Martin Amidu

Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu has severed all ties with the NDC owing to new philosophies he now subscribes to. Before that, he was one of the key and important figures of the party who stood as running mate for the late former President, John Evans Fiifi Attah Mills in the build-up to the December 2000 presidential elections. They both however lost to President John Kufuor that year. Amidu served as the Deputy Attorney-General for about the last four years of the Provisional National Defence Council military government. The Nana Akufo Addo led government has since appointed him as the Special Prosecutor for the newly created Office of the Special Prosecutor.

4.Muhammad Mumuni

Muhammad Mumuni is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He left parliament in 2004 when he became John Atta Mills’ vice-Presidential running mate. Unfortunately for the NDC, John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the elections which was held on December 7, 2004. The parliamentary elections saw the NPP win 128 of the 230 seats.

5. John Dramani Mahama

The current flagbearer and former President, John Dramani Mahama made his entry into the spotlight after the late John Evans Mills selected him as the running mate leading to the 2008 elections. Mills was certified as the victor in the run-off election on January 3, 2009, by a margin of less than one percent. It is to date the closest election in Ghanaian history. John Dramani was mandated by the constitution to be the President of Ghana following the sudden demise of the late President John Evans Attah Mills whiles in office.

5. Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur

Perhaps we are safe to say Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur provided the winning formular for John Dramani Mahama as NDC won the 2012 elections. Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur born William Edmund Davidson Amissah-Arthur was a Ghanaian economist, academic and politician who was the fifth Vice-President of Ghana’s 4th Republic, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. He died on 29 June 2018 at the 37 Military Hospital after reportedly collapsing at the Air Force Gym during his routine morning workout session.

6. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang

Naana Opoku Agyemang is unarguably the most popular woman in Ghana right this minute. The euphoria and hubbub that greeted her announcement on June 6, 2020, still continue unabated on social media. If John Dramani Mahama wins the 2020 polls, Jane will become the first female Vice President in the history of Ghanaian politics. Meanwhile, she has still etched her name into the record book as she’s presently the first female running mate of any flagbearer in the country.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang is a veteran educationist and became the first female Vice Chancellor of a public university of Ghana when she was appointed to head University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2008. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was appointed to head the Ministry of Education in 2012 when John Dramani won power in the 2012 elections and she held the position until the party lost power in 2016.

SOURCE: www.Ghgossip.com