[ 2017-03-22 ]

John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana

NDC plots to ditch Mahama
The plot to ditch ex-President John Dramani Mahama
for the 2020 presidential election by some
powerful opposition National Democratic Congress
(NDC) members is thickening by the day.

The party’s leadership is currently embroiled in
what can be described as a blame game following
the massive defeat suffered by it (party) in the
hands of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the
December 7, 2016, general election.

Some of the top figures like Deputy General
Secretary Koku Anyidoho and Anita Desooso, a vice
chairperson, have reportedly made their intentions
known by expressing their desire for another
candidate for the 2020 presidential election apart
from former President Mahama.

The NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Yunyoo in
the Northern Region, Joseph Naabu Bipoba, has also
joined the fray, saying John Mahama’s
candidature is out of the equation just like
former MP for La Dadekotopon, Nii Amasah Namoale.

The Yunyoo MP says the former president lacks
“competence” to lead the NDC’s re-election
bid in the 2020 general election. Nii Amassah
Namoale also has called on Mr Mahama to rescind
his decision to contest in the 2020 polls since he
would not win the party’s primary.

“I will beat anyone who would contest with me,
including John Mahama…,” he said on
Accra-based Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme
yesterday as the NDC gears up for
re-organisation.

Bad Choice

Naabu Bipoba told journalists in parliament
yesterday that former President Mahama would be a
bad choice for the NDC.

“He was the president and contested with Nana
Akufo-Addo and lost miserably so if President
Mahama comes, what is he going to do? Is he the
only person?” he asked.

The Yunyoo MP said former President Mahama is to
blame for NDC’s shameful defeat in the 2016
general election because he surrounded himself
with political neophytes like former
Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah,
at the presidency “who told him nothing but
lies.”

“People at the presidency were just telling him
lies. Take Omane Boamah; what experience has he
got in politics? If he goes to contest an election
at where he comes from, can he win? But the
president listened to such people,” he
wondered.

Explosive Interview

Koku Anyidoho recently said in an explosive
interview with GHOne TV that leadership in the NDC
would have to rotate, indicating that the NDC
might not front Mr. Mahama as its candidate in
2020.

Anita Desooso is also currently in a fierce
‘fight’ with some NDC members for saying that
the party’s executives were undermined during
the elections which the NDC presidential candidate
managed only 44.4%.

Mr. Anyidoho reiterated his ‘love’ for Prof
John Evans Atta Mills who died suddenly in July
2012, giving ex-President Mahama, who was then the
vice president, the chance to contest the 2012
election without any opposition from within the
party.

Axe To Grind

The Deputy General Secretary clearly showed in the
interview that he has an axe to grind with
ex-President Mahama.

When asked whether he loves President Mahama, Mr.
Anyidoho rather brazenly reiterated his ‘love’
for President Mills and could only say that he
only had a working relationship with President
Mahama.

“I will never regret working for him…
President Mills, I salute you in your grave.
Nobody will take that away from me,” he said
forcefully.

He then went on to state boldly that he loves the
NDC as a party and that “leadership will
rotate,” insisting that “I loved President
Mills; I worked for President Mahama.”

Anita’s Crusade

Anita Desooso, on the other hand, has vowed to
help restore dignity to the party’s leadership
by ensuring that the structures of the party are
respected.

According to the former NDC National Women’s
Organizer, the various groups formed to campaign
for the second term for President Mahama caused
the party’s defeat.

In the run-up to the crucial election, the NDC,
with state resource at its disposal, formed many
splinter groups to promote the second term bid for
the president.

Groups likes Girls Girls for Mahama, Zongo Girls
for Mahama, Zongo for Mahama, Youth for Mahama,
Celebrities for Mahama, Mahama Ladies, I Choose
JM, Ambassadors for Mahama, Doves for Mahama and
others, were formed with massive resources at
their disposal to prosecute the agenda which
failed woefully in the end as Ghanaians
overwhelmingly rejected Mahama.

Some have said the pro-Mahama groups even became
more powerful in terms of campaign resources than
the party’s structures, including the national
executive.

So-called Groups

Anita told Kasapa FM recently that there was no
doubt that the so-called groups contributed to the
party’s defeat because the party’s structures
were ignored.

“These campaign groups which emerged in the
run-up to the December 7, 2016, elections
contributed to our loss in that election. After
these groups were formed, the structures that are
known to the party rather suffered as they were
denied resources,” she said.

Executives Shortchanged

She stated categorically that the party lacked the
needed resources to project candidate Mahama
saying, “The groups were rather benefitting as
they went for funds from certain quarters, and
while they were happy, the grassroots were
complaining.”

Anita Desooso said, “Some of these groups could
go to the Volta Region purporting to do
campaigning, but went there to speak English
instead of the Ewe language,” asking, “How can
you do such a campaign?”

As a result, she asserted, “I’ve vowed to make
sure that the NDC amends its constitution;
whichever group it is should start from the
structures…start from the branch level.”

NDC sources say apart from National Organizer Kofi
Iddi Adams who doubled as the Campaign Coordinator
of the failed Mahama second term bid and Siidi
Abubakar, the National Youth Organizer, almost
every powerful executive member is seriously
working against the return of President Mahama as
NDC candidate – including General Secretary,
Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

Subtle Plan

There are also claims that Mr Johnson
Asiedu-Nketia aka General Mosquito was
instrumental in the formation of the 13-member
committee being Chaired by Professor Kwesi
Botchwey to investigate why the party lost
massively in the December general election.

A source has said that the powerful General
Secretary could be using the committee to prepare
the grounds to contest as the party’s national
chairman as he claims the current one – Kofi
Portuphy – has become unpopular due to the fact
that he is being accused of supervising the
party’s humiliating defeat at the hands of the
Akufo-Addo-led NPP.

Mahama’s Humiliation

The NPP’s candidate Nana Akufo-Addo made sure
that President Mahama became a one-term president
in the history of Ghana by flooring him
‘one-touch’ with 5,716,026 votes, representing
53.85% while Mr. Mahama secured 4,713,277 votes,
representing 44.40%.

The NDC has now entered into a new political
dispensation as minority in parliament with only
104 seats against the NPP’s 171.

Source - dailyguideafrica.com

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