The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has dismissed suggestions that the running mate candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) should hail from the Ashanti Region.

Bryan Acheampong, who is considered a potential running mate for the party, stated that the party should select a running mate for its flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, based on competence rather than tribal affiliations.

Speaking to Onua TV on the sidelines of a campaign event in the Eastern Region, the minister emphasized that a person's hometown should not be a factor in determining who will partner with Dr. Bawumia for the December 7 polls, as long as they are Ghanaian.

"If you trace our ancestries, you would come to the conclusion that we are all Ghanaians. Therefore, one's origin doesn't matter. It is a thing of the past. We should all proudly uphold the flag of Ghana and work for the country with good hearts; that is what's important," he explained to the Onua TV journalist in Twi.

When the journalist insinuated during her questioning that "it seems like the running mate is from the Ashanti Region," the minister retorted, "Who told you that the running mate is from the Ashanti Region? The running mate is from Ghana; a running mate is aligned with Dr. Bawumia."

Bryan Acheampong did not rule himself out as a potential running mate for Dr. Bawumia.

"That is a conversation we need to have. I have not been approached, but what I am saying is that ultimately, one's place of origin shouldn't matter... We're going to present two Ghanaians. Therefore, people should refrain from insisting that the person must come from a specific region; it is un-Ghanaian," he concluded.