John Dramani Mahama represents the National Democratic Congress’ best shot at the 2024 presidential elections because among other several qualities, he has supervised many ministers before, including Finance Ministers, says Prof. Joshua Alabi, campaign manager for the former president.
‘Bↄhↄ bio” (encore), the gathering at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, had shouted, urging Alabi to repeat what he had just said as he toasted why John Mahama was launching a come-back bid at the presidency, and why he beats all others seeking to contest him as the party’s flagbearer for the elections.
Alabi obliged the crowd, and repeated his jibe, stressing on ‘Finance Ministers’, in apparent reference to Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the former Finance Minister in the erstwhile Mahama administration who has put in his candidature to lead the NDC into the 2024 elections.
“President Mahama has supervised defence ministers, interior minister,s trade ministers and finance ministers. The next leader of our country will not be a trial and error leader but one tried and tested, someone who has supervised a lot of ministers including finance ministers.”
Prof Alabi added that people are calling not just for the return of the NDC into power but also to bring forth someone with experience to save the economy.
He noted that Mr Mahama has a sense of urgency when it comes to salvaging Ghana and has a clear path on how to rescue and rebuild the country.
“We are blessed as a party and as a country to have such a person in the NDC today, an affable, good listener, and a unifier. We are blessed again to have such a person as our candidate and the people’s candidate,” Prof Alabi said.
Earlier, Mr Mahama announced his intention to contest the 2024 presidential elections after being defeated in the last two elections held in 2016 and 2020.
However, the former President believes that he has what it takes to help salvage the country from its current economic crisis.
Meanwhile, also speaking at the campaign launch, the Oti Regional NDC chairman, John Kwadwo Gyapong, said that the other candidates are not qualified to run for the presidential candidature at this time.
He called out businessman Ernest Kwaku Krobea stating that using his age as a young politician to win hearts will not get him close to the presidency, especially since he does not know the first thing about political leadership.
“Who has trained you to come today? who has given you that mandate, have you been an assemblyman, let alone an MP? How are you coming? You better join the line. I would advise him, he is not qualified.”
He also called out Dr Duffour whom he says has not won any parliamentary seat before urging him to win the hearts of the people of the Ashanti region for the NDC ahead of the 2024 election.
My Gyapong called on the NDC to massively vote for Mr Mahama in the presidential primaries, adding he does not want the candidates that have picked forms to get even 2% of the total votes.
He said that unlike these candidates Mr Mahama has made himself available to Ghanaians and the party at large since he lost the general election in 2016.
Mr Mahama picked forms to contest for the NDC presidential primaries alongside three others.
The former Mayor of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu and businessman, Ernest Kwaku Krobea picked forms to contest.
The former Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, picked forms. He was a Finance Minister under the late former President Jerry John Rawlings from 1997 to 2001 and also under the late president Atta Mills’ leadership from 2009 to 2013.
In 2022, the NDC flagbearer hopeful introduced a different support system for the NDC grassroots better known as the NDC Ahotor business support project to bring a commercial reality to the party activities at the constituency level with a personal investment of GHȼ10 million into the Ahotor business suit for all 275 constituencies.
When fully rolled out, it is estimated to generate an average income of GHȼ6,000 per month per constituency. The aim is to make constituency executives financially autonomous and easily facilitate party work.