Contrary to the perception that former President John Dramani Mahama has lost his relevance in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) after losing to the ruing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 election, Today can authoritatively say that Mr Dramani Mahama’s popularity has rather been soaring within the rank-and-file of the party.
According to our investigations, every Tom, Dick and Harry in the NDC today still wants former President Dramani Mahama to come back and lead the party in the 2020 election.
And though Mr Dramani Mahama is yet to formally announce his candidature for the NDC’s flagbearership race slated for somewhere in November this year, our checks at the Adabraka headquarters of the party showed that the whole NDC hierarchy favours Mr Dramani Mahama’s ticket.
That, according to our source at the party’s head office, includes, Members of Parliament (MPs), national, regional, constituency executives and some stalwarts of the party.
Others, who are also in favour of his candidature, Today gathered, include some members of the party’s Council of Elders, National Executive Council (NEC) and the grassroots.
“We believe we can only recapture power if we give the mantle of leadership to former President Dramani Mahama. Anything short of that will let’ us remain in opposition for long,” a member of the party’s national executives who pleaded to speak on condition of anonymity told Today recently.
Our checks further indicated a group has been formed whose members meet regularly to strategise on how to ensure that Mr Dramani Mahama and the NDC recapture power in 2020.
For instance, at one of their recent meetings held at the Cantonments office of the former president, Today‘s intelligence indicated that the types of vehicles that came there were enough to confirm the popularity of Mr Dramani Mahama in the NDC.
“We (group’s name withheld) have settled on former President Mahama to win power back for us, not because some of us served under him, but at the moment, he is the only person in the NDC who has the political clout to win power for us,” the source told Today.
Members of this group, the source said, “have vowed to do everything possible to make Mr Dramani Mahama come back to rescue NDC.”
While admitting that the other NDC presidential hopefuls were equally good materials, our sources pointed out that, the group believes Mr Dramani Mahama will “easily win power for the party in 2020,” considering his track record and his affable nature.
“We are leaving nothing to chance come 2020, and that is why we think we should all rally behind former President Dramani Mahama to do the magic for us,” a member of the group said.
For the members of the Council of Elders of the NDC,“ Mr Mahama is the party’s last hope for the 2020 election.”
And in their view the destiny of the NDC is tied to Mr Dramani Mahama’s return, the source added.
A founder member of the party at a meeting last month with one of NDC’s presidential hopefuls revealed that Mr Dramani Mahama was the only hope for the party, and that failure to bring him back to lead the party will be disastrous.
Also, for the majority of the NDC MPs who are in support of Mr Dramani Mahama’s return, “they cannot go back to their constituencies in 2020 to campaign without former President Dramani Mahama being elected as the flag-bearer of the party.
“We (MPs) owe it as a duty to ensure that the interests of our constituents are served by granting them their request,” our sources said.
The group, according to the sources, disagreed with those who hold the view that it will be politically suicidal to bring back Mr Dramani Mahama when he will only serve one-term in the event that he wins the 2020 election.
However, the group, the sources said, hold the view that “the political calculation doesn’t add up,” explaining that the future success of the NDC will depend on the next Mahama’s government.
The NDC will by the end of this year elect a flag-bearer to lead the party in the 2020 general elections.
Already some party stalwarts, including the Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Kingsford Bagbin, former Chief Executive Officer of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), former Trade and Industry Minister, Dr Ekwow Spio Garbrah, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies (UPS), Prof. Joshua Alabi, and few others had declared their intentions to contest the position.
Source: Today Newspaper
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that is the only way they can get some dash during the campaign bcos they know he still have a lot of what has been stol3n. it is a way for them to get their share of the stol3n cash but not bcos they want him to become president again. but bcos the man is power-drunk he can not the game his own team members are playing around him.
WELL YOU CAN LED YOUR NDC BUT NOT GHANA,NEVER AGAIN . PROF ATTA MILLS WAKE UP.
Mahama's coming will prolong the NDC's stay in opposition.
Why wouldn't they be clamouring for him?This man has st0l3n more money from the people of Ghana than any leader dead or alive.Remember this is a party full of people whose only reason for belonging is what they can make for themselves.Each one of the aspiring contestants can be better leaders than this Mahama who in civilised societies would be cooling off in jail right now.In the 27 or so years that the NDC has been in power in Ghana someone should point out just one pro poor intervention thy have initiated in this country.This country would be lost forever if the NDC is ever allowed to come back to power.
but i think mr Mahama is an ex president?
Hey hey hey oh NDC, I pity this party. They lack the men. Almost all the intelligent people in Ghana do not want to be associated with them so they have to use Mahama again. However they have men and women who are good at corruption. With Mahama being the most corrupt amongst them what do you expect? He has to lead again, this time into oblivion
Double salary and double ex-gratial scandal alone will win the 2020 for NPP against incompetent John Ford Kanazoe as candidate..... NDC will get 30% in presidential votes and less than 100 seats in parliament...... Cool chop for NPP.......
THIS ONE "DIDYE" IT WILL BE COOL CHOP FOR NANA. BRING IT ON.
Who cares ? They can even bring Papa J they will lose. If they haven't realized why they lost and want to bring this thi*f man who cares? But the point is they do not have anyone and they think Ghanaians are st*pid to vote for their so called tall and handsome instead of wisdom and vision, they should bring him,he will lose more than before,let Nigel Gaisie the juju pastor deceive you. Who told you I Will forget about my daughter's free SHS and vote for somebody who will cancel it and use theone meant for that for his personal interest, you think I will vote for ndc to cancel teacher and nurses trainee allowances and you think I will vote for people who hate Ghana and will make the youth suffer due to unemployment. After all those professionals ndc left unemployed have been employed now and you think they will vote ndc to come and redeploy them? 2020 ndc will lose to disintegrate. Kai! The bad of the NPP is the good of the ndc and the evil of the NPP is the angel of the ndc so we will take the evil NPP. Who in Ghana has shown love and affection to ndc to think Ghanaians need them apart from their 22% who are diehards. Who cares? This is no news Ghana media find something good to publish and leave these anti-Ghana elements, I don't understand why you people take delight in evil people and go to church to worship. That hypocrisy must stop !hypocrisy is a detestable behaviour to GOD !
Garbage