After the 2016 election debacle, the National Democratic Congress was thrown into a state of utter confusion. It momentarily lost its bearings, and petty internal squabbles dominated the party’s day to day affairs. There was no end in sight to the ugliness.
But as the saying goes, time heals wounds. The party has somehow managed to forge a united front and set its eyes on 2020. It is determined to do things the right way and not repeat the costly mistakes that gave the presidency to its fierce rival, the New Patriotic Party, the NPP.
However, the NDC’s determination to recapture the presidency and the Flagstaff House, is already being put to the test and severely undermined; internal squabbles, something everyone thought the NDC had put behind it, are beginning to resurface again, and may well doom its chances. Whether the party can survive another devastating bout of acrimony remains to be seen.
Former president John Mahama hasn’t declared his intentions to reseek the office he lost. And so far, he has been very discreet about it; he has kept everything to the chest, not revealing much, except to say that when the time is ripe and right, he will make his intentions known.
You would think that Mr. Mahama’s wise words and prudent approach would be just enough to stop some party members from pushing, nudging and encouraging him to seek the party’s nomination for the 2020 elections. Sadly, Mr. Mahama’s words have fallen on deaf ears. And that could spell trouble.
According to reports, ten regional NDC chairmen have thrown caution to the wind and openly invited the former president to contest the party’s presidential nomination. Their very public endorsement of Mr. Mahama much to the displeasure of many others is bound to rip the party apart long before votes are even cast in the 2020 elections.
I find it reprehensible that these regional party chairmen did not deem it proper to consult with the party’s top hierarchy before they threw their weight behind the former president. What were they thinking? Didn’t they realize that their early support and tacit endorsement of Mr. Mahama who was at the head of the party when it suffered the lopsided defeat to the NPP, would set tongues wagging and raise a lot of questions?
In all fairness, if Mr. Mahama wants to run again for the presidency, it is his prerogative. No one has the right to stop him from realizing his dreams of regaining the most coveted prize in Ghanaian politics.
But let’s be realistic here: as former Chief Executive of the country, Mr. Mahama has a record, and his opponent in 2020 will hammer away at this record relentlessly, emphasizing the negatives and ignoring the positives. That is a foregone conclusion.
There is little doubt that were Mr. Mahama to run again, the NPP will make mincemeat out of him. Not that they did not do it before. Remember Dr Bawumia’s constant labeling of Mr. Mahama as incompetent in 2016? Well, it could get real nasty in 2020. The NPP will be unforgiving and brutal.
The way I see it, it would be in the supreme interest of the NDC if Mr Mahama sits out the 2020 elections. He had the opportunity to govern and he served the country well, regardless of what his opponents say.
The NDC brims with capable men and women who have the qualities to lead the country. They, and not Mr. Mahama. should be accorded the once in a life time opportunity to give President Akuffo Addo a run for his money in 2020.