NDC can’t win 2020 elections with Mahama – Namoale

Nii Amasah Namoale, former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dadekotopon, has insisted that the opposition party cannot win the 2020 elections with former President John Dramani Mahama as its flag bearer.

He said the NDC should try Professor Joshua Alabi because Mr. Mahama’s track record cannot secure victory for the NDC.

Namoale, a former deputy minister of agriculture in-charge of fisheries under the late Mills administration, was reacting to a recent declaration by Mr. Mahama that he was coming back to lead the NDC into the 2020 presidential election.

The former president, after being humiliated at the polls on December 7, 2016, announced over the weekend via Facebook that he was lacing his boots to contest again; but his comeback attempt is starting another round of ‘serious infighting’ in the NDC.

Even though he had always admonished his competitors not to peak against the ongoing reorganization of the party, he has taken to the social media to announce his readiness to contest for the position of president once again.

But his announcement did not surprise the teeming members of the party because it is an open secret that he would contest in the 2020 polls.

Other NDC chieftains who have declared their intention to challenge Mr. Mahama are second deputy speaker of parliament, Alban Bagbin; former NHIS boss, Sylvester Mensah; former Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; former UPSA Rector, Prof. Joshua Alabi and Kweku Rickett Hagan, former Central Regional minister.

However, Nii Amasah Namoale, who is a staunch supporter of Prof. Joshua Alabi, is doubtful that the former president can win the next election for the opposition party.

He said on Angel TV on Tuesday, “If we bring him back it will be difficult for us. We will do our best but it is going to be very hard. I am telling NDC rank and file, let us change him. Let us have a new leader; let us have a new flag bearer so that we will be able to win 2020.

“The leader of the party should make sure things go on well. The leader should ensure that there will not be a disconnection between the seat of government and the party when we come to power.”

Nii Namoale rubbished the recent conference held by some MMDCEs who served under Mahama’s administration, trying to suggest that the former president was being opportunistic.

“How many times did he (Mr. Mahama) meet the Council of Elders? How many times did he meet the DCEs? Now that he wants to come back he is meeting former DCEs.

“When he was in government he didn’t meet DCEs. Rawlings did and Prof. Mills also did it,” Namoale fired, adding. “If he wins that will be fine; but he will not win. Prof. Alabi will win it,” he added.

Former Consul

Already, former Consul to Dubai, Daniel Osei, has lambasted Mr. Mahama saying it would be a disaster for the opposition NDC to allow the former president to lead the party as its flag bearer for 2020.

He said Mr. Mahama, who appointed him consul, does not have the ‘discipline,’ ‘focus’ or the ‘moral turpitude’ to be the NDC’s flag bearer for 2020, adding that there’s no way Mr. Mahama, whose life has been characterized by indecision as he stated in his autobiography, can lead the party to victory.

“If possible, Mahama should not contest in the flagbearership as that will not be in the NDC’s interest,” Mr. Osei fired on Kasapa FM in Accra on Tuesday.

He said, “Mahama was not simply defeated by Akufo-Addo; he lost the Ghanaian electorate across board because his reign was terrible and his personality also didn’t help matters.”

The former consul added, “He gave deaf ears to issues raised by doctors and several other professional bodies. For the first time we lost the military and we started losing the military as early as 2014.”

Kidding Himself

According to Mr Osei, “Mahama is kidding himself if he says he’s coming back because the grassroots are calling for him. When he becomes our flag bearer he’s going to face the whole nation and these groups of persons are still there and they remember what he did to them.”