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Until former President John Mahama replaces Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate, victory would elude him in the 2024 election, the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Mr Ben Ephson, has said.

Speaking on the latest Economist Intelligence Unit’s projection of victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the next elections, Mr Mahama told Accra-based Joy FM: “If today, if April, the NDC held a flagbearership contest, I think Mahama will win”.

“In a year’s time, I am not sure,” Mr Ephson noted.

The pollster then warned, “Clearly, if Mahama wins the NDC flagbearership slot and he is not going to change his running mate, he is going to have difficulties in 2024.”

This is not the first time there has been a call for Prof Opoku-Agyemang to be changed as Mahama’s running mate.

In March 2021, a former MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, who is a member of the NDC, said Mr Mahama should stand for the 2024 polls but must opt for a Ga indigene as running mate instead of repeating Prof Opoku-Agyemang.

Mr Mubarak told Nana Aba Anamoah on Accra-based Starr FM on Wednesday, 24 March 2021: “I think Mahama should go in 2024 and I think we should have early party organisation”.

“So, Mahama should go for 2024 but I think we could do with a change in running mate”, he suggested; and proposed: “A Ga running mate would be great”.

In its report, the EIU projected that the NDC will win the 2024 polls but says it expects the biggest opposition party to revitalise its prospects with a fresh face on the ballot box rather than former President John Mahama.

“The next parliamentary and presidential elections are due in 2024. Under constitutionally mandated term limits, the incumbent president, Mr Akufo-Addo, cannot run for a third term”.

“The former president, John Mahama, is reportedly considering running again, but we expect the opposition NDC to try to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate,” the report said.

The report noted: “Our baseline forecast is that ongoing public dissatisfaction with the slow pace of improvements in governance—such as infrastructure development, job creation and easing of corruption—will trigger anti-incumbency factors and push the electorate to seek a change”.

“The NDC, therefore, stands a reasonable chance of winning the 2024 elections”.