'Mahama can't win 2024 elections; EIU is correct' - Kwamena Duncan

Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has jabbed the opposition National Democratic Congress for downplaying the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey that the party can only win the 2024 elections if they drop their favourite candidate, former President John Mahama.

The EIU says the NDC has a high probability of winning the 2024 elections with a new candidate.

Edudzi Tamakloe, an aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, says Mr. Mahama is the obvious choice for the party going into the 2024 elections.

Speaking on Metro TV's 'Good Morning Ghana', Mr. Tamakloe argued; “If you put these two together [Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Alan Kyerematen] and you put them on a ballot paper. This will be their first time for any elections. Now come to think of the NDC and in the case of H.E John Dramani Mahama, it’s not a matter opened up for debate. All that we pray for is God to grant him long life and good health. The person who has had the benefit of contesting in any elections nationally, he had appeared on ballot paper, you say ‘look, jettison this one and go for a ‘fresh’ candidate”.

“With the greatest of respect to the London research think tank, even for a researcher, you start from the known to the unknown. I’m yet to see a proper social scientist start a conversation from the unknown to the known.

“Often times you start from the known to the unknown. If this is anything to go by, you want a candidate who is nationally marketed, a candidate who in the midst of the militarization of our electoral process in the 2020 elections, arguably pulled over 6.2 million votes, and you say go for someone who has never appeared on a national poll before . . . I mean we won’t take that risk,” he added.

But to Kwamena Duncan, EIU is correct about the chances of Ex-President John Mahama in winning the 2024 elections.

Speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Kwamena Duncan played back the track record of Mr. Mahama stressing his government was characterized by corruption which cannot simply be eroded from the minds of Ghanaians.

To him, the NDC electing Mr. Mahama as their flagbearer is "an indictment that the NDC must go into their hiding and cry over because, since 2012, the face of the NDC has been President Mahama all through".

Borrowing statements from former Mayor of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu, regarding the former President, Kwamena Duncan was without a shred of doubt that NDC can never triumph over the NPP, come 2024.

''Do you know the man called Kojo Bonsu? In one of his interviews, it was aired about two or three months ago. He said NDC will make a mistake of their life should they bring back former President Mahama because he has soiled himself . . . There is no dispute that, in our political landscape today, the President that if we should give a list of corrupt practices and, you see, the mentality he has about Ghanaians is that Ghanaians have a short memory. So, he holds that deceived perception," he said.

He also dispelled any allegations of corruption against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, hence daring any person who thinks otherwise to show evidence.

''...I will ask can anybody come up with the highlights of the corrupt practices of this government? Mention them for me; mention them! It is so easy to say corruption but I am charging you to give me those corrupt practices, those highlights that these are the corrupt practices of the Akufo-Addo government. For others, we can point to them seamlessly!''

The former Minister promised Ghanaians the Akufo-Addo government will make Ghana better, stressing ''this government is bent on getting the economy back on track'' from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the Russia/Ukraine war which, he noted, have gravely affected the progress of the nation.