Bawumia’s Running Mate: Jubilee House “confirms” Naa Torshie Addo

Barring any last-minute change of mind and arrangement, 53-year-old Irene Naa Torshie, the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, would be named the running mate to the vice president and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, toward the December 7 general elections, The Inquirer has learnt.

This paper’s intelligence at a meeting which was held last week Wednesday, 27 March, this year-between 7- and 10pm-at the Jubilee House in Accra, confirmed that the choice of the running mate has settled on the former 1st deputy minority whip in the Parliament.

The meeting had in attendance the crème dela crème of the NPP-from national to regional executives from all the regions.

It is not clear why the choice of Naa Torshie, but insiders say it was because the fighting blocs in the Ashanti region have taken entrenched positions and are prepared to push the party to opposition should any of the feuding factions be selected as the running mate to the flagbearer.

Naa Torshie, on the other hand, cuts through the minority groups as well as, has the goodwill of the Asante bloc which is where the NPP pulls its majority votes from.

At the Jubilee House meeting, The Inquirer sources say even though there were dissenting voice against the choice of the former Tema West Member of Parliament (MP), the fact that Naa Torshie wields a lot of influence across the Christian faith base organisations, including those who are even NDC inclined, is what towered her above all the other candidates whose names were bandied about.

In the coming weeks, Dr. Bawumia would be expected to present the name of Naa Torshie to the National Executives Committee of the party at its NEC meting following which an official announcement would be made to the public.

When her name is eventually mentioned, Naa Torshie would make two records in the party-one; as the first female running mate to emerge in the NPP and the only Ga to break the jinx of occupying the Speaker of Parliament seat and elevating it to the vice-presidential slot.

Hon. Irene Naa Torshie Addo is a lawyer by profession and currently the 1st Deputy Minority whip in the Parliament of Ghana.

She was born on the 30th of September 1970. She read law in the University of Ghana – Legon and was called to the Ghana Bar in 1996. In 1998–1999, she completed a Master’s degree in Law and development (LLM) at the University of Warwick (UK).

Irene Addo started her Law practice at the prestigious Ghanean law firm Akufo Addo Prempeh and Co. in 1996, and has been a partner at the Zoe Akyea and Co. (law firm) since February 2006. Irene Addo was appointed Ghana’s Deputy Ambassador to Washington DC in September 2006 and was elected Member of Parliament in December 2008 for the Tema West Constituency, and re-elected in December 2012. 

Hon. Irene Addo’s legal expertise is in Real Estate, Trade and Investment law and Human rights. Her passion is to advocate for the protection of vulnerable women and children in the world, especially in Ghana. As the only female Minority Leader in Parliament, Irene is a member of the committee of Gender and Children, amongst others. She is a member and speaker for international groups such as FIDA, ZONTA, etc. and is also the vice president of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF.

Source: TheInquirer