Muntaka Mubarak, a member of parliament representing Asawase, has stated that he will decline any offer to serve as John Mahama’s running partner.
He believes that because he too has northern background, he is not the best candidate for the job.
Although he was born and reared in the Ashanti area, the NDC veteran claimed in an interview with JoyNews’ PM Express that his family is originally from the north and that pairing together two northerners could be challenging.
“Yes I’m from Asante Region, but nobody can discount the fact that I’m also associated with the north. My grandfather settled in the south, I’m more Kumasi person than any other place. I mean, it’s the place that I’ve lived, my father was buried there, my grandfather was buried there, I schooled there, virtually everything.
“Even the people from the north think that I don’t behave like a northerner but you can’t discount that. And I can’t imagine a typical northerner with a second or third generation northerner in the south that will be too difficult,” he said.
Muntaka Mubarak is certain that, to prevent any issue, John Mahama should choose a pure Akan over him, despite others suggesting that their combination may be the NDC’s key to winning the Ashanti region in the 2017 Presidential elections.
“Even if he was to do that gesture I would advise rather advise that, if it is truly Ashanti that he wants, he picks a purely Akan person,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Asawase MP says he is also nursing his own presidential ambitions and intends on pursuing it forcefully when the time is right.
“I’ve been a politician, I believe that I’ve served very well, I have all the credentials that it takes, I have distinguished myself the best that I can, and I want to believe that if the opportunity avails itself why not? I will be a contender and I will do that forcefully.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
