He explained that although he had a firm idea who his running mate would be, it was not ideal to name the person when the country was still battling COVID-19.

“In the midst of COVID, what is the use of naming a running mate when you can’t outdoor the person and all? But let me assure you I have a fair idea who will partner me and for the elections after the necessary consultations with the national executives and council of elders are done.

“I can assure you that he will make significant contribution to the development of our nation,” Mr Mahama stated at his “Digital Conversation on Health Care and Infrastructure” last Thursday.

He was responding to a question on who his running mate would be and whether he was not late in naming the person.

Not late

Former President Mahama said he was not late in naming his running mate, since “the deadline for naming our running mate is when the Electoral Commission (EC) opens nominations in September”.

He said prior to naming a running mate, the NDC would have to round up its work on the manifesto document which the party’s electioneering would be based on.

Aside from that, he said the party had to build its national campaign team, as well as inaugurate and publish its manifesto, stressing that “these are all timelines that the party is working on. We are not late at all”.

Since his election as the flag bearer of the NDC in February 2019, a number of names have popped up as possible running mates of Mr Mahama.

They include Ghana’s longest-serving Finance Minister, Professor Kwesi Botchwey; the Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, Mr Eric Opoku; the party’s General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketia; a former Chief Executive of the Ghana Gas Company, Dr George Sipa Yankey; a former Health Minister, Mr Samuel Nuamah-Donkor; and a businessman, Mr Leslie Tamakloe.

Knee-jerk

Commenting on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s announcement to construct 94 new hospitals within a year, Mr Mahama described it as knee-jerk and reactionary.

He explained that although there was the need to improve on health infrastructure, the plan to do so ought to be credible and well thought-through.

“When even more investment is required to augment the existing health infrastructure, it is important that the plan to do so is credible and clearly thought-through. What we should avoid are knee-jerk promises that appear reactive rather than products of critical thinking and well-coordinated response to an existing or emerging problem,” Mr Mahama stated.

He said there were “uninformed and sniped remarks” with some questioning why many facilities were constructed when the NDC was in government.

“It has been widely acknowledged that some of the critical investments that we [NDC administration] made in the health sector have been extremely useful and enabled Ghana to lessen the impact of this pandemic on our people and our nation. This acknowledgement bears out the vision and clear thinking that went into the massive investments we made in the health sector.