Some traders in Kumasi have openly declared their support for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to lead the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The traders have therefore appealed to the party’s delegates to votes massively for the Vice President in the party’s presidential primary on November 4, 2023.

The traders are members of the 26 identified groups at the new Kejetia market, Central market, and the Race Course all in the Kumasi Metropolis.

Funfair 

As at 8 a.m on Thursday, November 2, 2023, the traders, numbering about 500, had converged on the Kejetia market premises, with some clad in the NPP colours and paraphernalia, gearing up for their favorite candidate to lead the party.

The visibly happy traders danced to brass band music and also sung some popular songs of the party, before addressing the media.

Unifier/ religious tolerance 

According to the group, the Vice President had continuously demonstrated that he was the right candidate to lead the party and that he was a ‘unifier’.

The Chairman of the group, Emmanuel Jako, in an interview, said Dr Bawumia has shown on several platforms that he was a unifier, and that his religious tolerance is unparalleled.

“These are the kind of people the country needs. Someone who would continually preach peace among all religious bodies”, he observed.

Good listener

He said the Vice President is a good listener, and recounted some interventions he made to support the traders, with the recent one being the construction of a bridge at the Race Course market.

Mr. Jako said when the old bridge collapsed, several calls to get it fixed never materialised, until the Vice President heard of their predicament and timely came to their aid.