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It is looking increasingly likely that should Nana Akufo-Addo win the 2012 flagbearership slot of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he would be prepared to accept any leading member of the party, as his running mate. This group includes his main political rival in the NPP, Mr. Alan Kyeremanten, once such a ticket will help the NPP win the 2012 presidential elections. A statement issued and signed by Nana Akufo-Addo�s press aide, Herbert Krapa denied that Nana Akufo-Addo had rejected suggestions by party elders for him to consider Alan as his running mate for the 2012 general elections. The statement stated in part, �Nana Akufo-Addo has never rejected any suggestion of a Nana-Alan ticket.� It added that Nana Akufo-Addo �welcomes any suggestion or combination of persons on the ticket of the NPP that will secure unity and victory for the Party in 2012.� The question many analysts have been asking is � will a Nana/Alan ticket be one of political convenience? Page 147 of the new book by Ben Ephson on the 2008 elections and 2012: What is in store? States in part: �The absence of another internal research team in his campaign team, to act as a control check of the numerous researchers proved to be one of Nana Akufo-Addo�s weak links in his campaigns. What research went into the selection of his running mate? This question is not to suggest that his running mate, Dr. Mumuni Bawumia, was not fit, he is even capable of being a Presidential candidate. However, in potentially close elections as we witnessed, apart from a running mate�s capability, there is the need for research to find out the possible number of votes such a running mate could add to that of the presidential candidate. Dr. Bawumia is no doubt an excellent technocrat but in terms of gaining more votes for the NPP in the presidential elections, he did not deliver. In terms of adding more votes to Nana Akufo-Addo�s support base, persons like Alhaji Boniface Saddique and Ms. Oboshie Sai-Cofie, as per research we had conducted, would have given Nana Akufo-Addo, the nearly 77,000 votes he needed to win in the first round. Running mates do matter in elections;� Pages 146 of the book also stated: �A question that is still being discussed is � could Mr. Alan Kyeremanten as Nana�s running mate have helped Nana Akufo Addo win in the first round? Soon after being elected as the NPP�s flagbearer in December, 2007, Nana Akufo-Addo ruled out Mr. Kyeremanten as a running mate because such a presidential ticket would have reinforced the perception that the NPP is an Akan party. Nana Akufo-Addo is an Akyem from the Easter Region, whilst Mr. Kyeremanten is from both the Ashanti and Central regions. Thus, why are there reports that Nana Akufo-Addo is considering Mr. Kyeremanten as his running mate for 2012 if he is elected as the NPP�s flagbearer? Has Mr. Kyeremanten�s ethnic groupings changed since 2008?�