Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah- Asante says the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) decision to select a running mate from the Ashanti Region is a step in the right direction.

According to him, it is a good political tactic to always select people from party strongholds so that the people feel a sense of belonging.

This trend, he says, would allow the party to amass more votes in the Region.

Speaking on JoyFM's TopStory, he said “But I can tell you without fear of contradiction that once you put an Ashanti person, look you are going to get massive, massive support. That is a fact because they know that in the absence of the president, that person also steps in, and then they go for the presidency and all that."

He added, “These calculations are very, very important, you always pick from where you realise that you have your strength, otherwise why don’t  you go and pick in other regions that you don’t perform well and say that you are just picking anyone you are going to suffer some causalities.”

His comments follow suggestions by the NPP for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to select a running mate from the Ashanti Region.

Ahead of the official announcement of the running mate, there is intense jostling among NPP Members of Parliament as to who will become the running mate to the flagbearer.

Read also : NPP MPs jostle on who becomes running mate to Bawumia

Names that have emerged so far are Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh; the Minister for Energy, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu and Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.