Accra: Dr Mustapha Abdul Hamid, former minister of information, has disclosed that former president Nana Akufo-Addo had wanted a northern Muslim woman, Hajia Alima Mahama, to serve as his running mate ahead of the 2008 general elections.

He disclosed that the decision was, however, strongly opposed by sections of the Muslim community and some Islamic clerics.

According to the former spokesperson of Akufo-Addo, the then flagbearer had settled on Hajia Alima Mahama because she represented what he described as a “balanced ticket” for the New Patriotic Party.

He explained that Akufo-Addo considered her gender, northern background, and Islamic faith as strategic complements to his profile.

Writing in the third part of an article titled “The Sacred and the Profane: Thinking Islam and Self-Righteous Indignation in Ghanaian Politics”, Abdul Hamid, a former spokesperson for Akufo-Addo, recounted that Akufo-Addo publicly hinted at the decision during the party’s 2007 presidential primaries while addressing delegates in Walewale.

“At a gathering of party delegates from the three Mamprugu constituencies in Walewale, I was translating his speech from English to Mampruli to the delegates. He told the delegates that if they voted for him to become the flagbearer, he would make their sister, Hajia Alima Mahama, his running mate,” Abdul Hamid wrote.

He said the announcement was met with “thunderous applause” from delegates at the event.

However, Abdul Hamid stated that after Akufo-Addo emerged victorious in the primary contest and began consultations to formalise his choice, opposition quickly emerged from some Muslim clerics and Islamic groups.

He alleged that some clerics launched campaigns in Muslim communities against the proposed selection, arguing that Islam did not permit women to occupy leadership positions.

“Almost like a rehearsed script, some Ulama were up in arms against the decision. They started a whispering campaign in Muslim communities against Akufo-Addo’s decision.

“They told their flock that Islam is against the leadership of women, and they were not going to accept Hajia Alima Mahama into their mosques to campaign if she was made running mate,” he said.

According to him, a Tamale-based group calling itself the Association of Islamic Teachers sent him a warning letter threatening to mobilise Muslims against Akufo-Addo if Hajia Alima Mahama was chosen as his running mate.

Abdul Hamid said the objections were based on a hadith attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which some clerics interpreted as prohibiting female political leadership.

He argued that the resistance from sections of the Muslim community, coupled with internal disagreements within the party, eventually prevented Hajia Alima Mahama from becoming Akufo-Addo’s running mate in 2008, which paved the way for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President and current flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, to be chosen.

The former Information Minister further questioned what he described as inconsistencies in the position of some Muslim clerics, noting that objections to female leadership appeared absent during the 2024 elections when the National Democratic Congress fielded a female running mate alongside a male Muslim presidential candidate.

Dr Abdul Hamid claimed the differing reactions reflected political calculations rather than purely religious concerns, arguing that some actors were determined to prevent the NPP from gaining stronger support within Muslim-majority communities.

Hajia Alima Mahama, the 68-year-old woman, was born in Walewale of the Northeast Region, same as Dr Bawumia.

She is a lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for the Nalerigu/Gambaga constituency in the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic.

Hajia Alima was appointed as Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs under former President John Kufuor (January 2005 to January 2009) and served as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development from 2017 to 2021.

She was also appointed Ambassador of Ghana to the United States from June 2021 to December 2024.