A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Tony Aidoo, has stated that former President John Mahama can be trusted to lead the party in the 2024 elections.
He said the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC’s ability to admit and learn from his past mistakes gives him a better chance to contest the presidential race in the next general election.
Despite his earlier criticisms against the Mahama-led administration for what he described as the failure of the country’s accountability test, Dr Aidoo believes the former President is a preferred choice for the NDC.
“You learn from your mistakes and I believe that he [John Mahama] is a good learner. He has admitted that he made some mistakes. He admitted during the campaign for the 2020 elections.
“I am sure he can be trusted to keep faith with himself and with the people of this country,” he said in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Thursday.
Therefore, the former Defence Minister urged the NDC to return to its ideological identification as it seeks to take over power in the next elections.
“I’ve never been very functional in recent times in the party’s organisation but my one advice which I would use this opportunity to voice is that the party must go back to its ideological identification.
“If it is socialist, it must embrace socialist principles. You cannot create a so-called middle-class developmentalists through a petty bourgeoisie that is self-seeking, selfish and materialistic,” he added.
Following his loss in the 2020 presidential elections, Mr Mahama is yet to state his desire to run for a political office in the future.
However, during his ‘Thank You’ tours of the country last year, he said the party will be more vigilant at the polls to secure victory.
“The 2020 elections were rigged for the NPP. We have, however, accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court for the sake of peace.
“However, come 2024, the NDC will be extra vigilant at the polling stations because that is where the elections are won.
“So at the polling station [in the next election], it will be ‘do or die’. I am not saying all ‘die be die’. I’m saying it will be ‘do or die’ because the right thing must be done,” Mr Mahama said.
Meanwhile, the National Executives of NDC has pledged to deploy professional polling agents to oversee the 2024 elections on all levels.