News coming in from the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) shows how strategically John Mahama intends to prosecute the 2024 elections, say party insiders.
Indications from Thursday’s meeting confirm that one of the key right men of Mr Mahama, former Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, will be leading the party’s merged Elections and IT Directorate.
This is a smart political move because Omane Boamah is a true Mahama loyalist. It shows that Mahama wants to control the election management and monitoring process.
Omane Boamah, beyond being a former Minister of Communications and knowledgeable about IT solutions and operations, was the Deputy Campaign Coordinator for the successful 2012 parliamentary and presidential elections. He also played a critical role in the 2008 election. He will indeed be protecting John Mahama’s interest in this campaign.
The most unambiguous indication, however, that Mahama is hungry and ready for the elections and for power in 2025 is what can be described as the solid appointments he and the National Chairman and General Secretary settled on for the Elections and Research Directorates of the party.
The Directorate has been filled with members of the John Mahama elections management team that supervised his presidential primaries.
That team also worked with the party to coordinate the D-day activities and succeeded in collating and publishing in record time, results from the Assin North Parliamentary by-election in which James Gyakye Quayson defeated the NPP in June.
This includes Dr George Atta Boateng, a former Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) under Mahama, one of the four new deputy directors. He was vital in setting up the National Data Centre and the roll-out of many government-to-citizens and government-to-business IT applications.
Yayra Koku, a deputy director, is another solid IT person, a whizz kid in the National Identification Authority (NIA) engine room but sacked by the NPP when they came into office.
Mahdi Jibril and Dr Tanko Computer make up the four deputy directors.
Leading the Research Directorate of the party will be Professor Emeritus Francis Dodoo, a former Pro-VC of the University of Ghana and yet another Mahama loyalist described by many as a brilliant and technically astute professional.
Dr Moses Aheto and Prosper Hoetu will assist him.
Retaining their positions are key Mahama loyalists in the set-up: Alex Segebfia as Director of International Relations, one of the finest and most credible voices of the NDC, Kakra Essamuah as Director of Communications and his Deputy, Obuobia Darko-Opoku.
Other appointments include Professor Joshua Alabi, Mahama’s 2020 and Primaries campaign manager, lawyer Edudzi Tamaklo, Vincent Kuagbenu, Brogya Genfi and Dr Peter Otokunor.
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