US-based legal practitioner Professor Kwaku Asare has advised Mr. John Mahama to rescind his decision to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) again.
The former president over the weekend hinted of his intention via Facebook to become the flagbearer of the largest opposition party after a massive defeat in 2016.
“To you the teeming supporters and sympathizers calling and requesting me to declare my intentions for the future, I wish to assure you today, that as a servant-leader, I have listened to your calls and reflected,” Mahama said Saturday in a statement posted to his official Facebook account.
“I will not disappoint you even as we await the publication of the party’s guidelines for selecting a new leader,” Mahama said.
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Reacting to the development, Prof. Asare, who is popularly known as Kwaku Azar, said Mahama has gone through the structures of the political ladder hence his experience will be more beneficial as a statesman.
“I firmly believe that people should be free to run for any office. However, if ex President John Dramani Mahama asked me for advice on whether to run for office in 2020, I will urge him not to on grounds that he has already served the country in various capacities, including as MP, Minister, VP and President and he should now use his cumulative knowledge and experience to write a book and to serve as a statesman.
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“Please note that this is free, unsolicited and non-professional advice that is not binding on the ex President or anyone else. Da Yie!” Prof. Azar said in a Facebook post.
Mahama will be facing competition from four of his former appointees – a former communications minister Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former UPSA Vice-chancellor Professor Joshua Alabi, former NHIA boss Sylvester Mensah and 2nd deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin – for the flagbearership slot of the NDC ahead of the 2020 elections.
Meanwhile, a pollster Ben Ephson has advised members of the NDC seeking to lead the party in the 2020 elections to combine forces in order to put up a competent challenge to Mahama at the party’s primaries.
“There are five of them maybe they can decide that let’s form a ticket that one will contest and one will be running mate. The more candidates they have the more advantageous it is for Mahama. They can get talking to see if they can join forces to beat Mahama,” Ephson said.
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Mr. Mahama led the party in 2016 elections which saw them losing power to the NPP and president Akufo-Addo.