Former Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democractic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has revealed that his popular ‘comfortable lead’ catchphrase was painfully used against him by his fellow NDC members when he decided to contest as substantive General Secretary of the party.
According to him, party members vilified him and used that comment to run him down.
The phrase “comfortable lead” became very popular during the December 2016 election when Mr Anyidoho insisted figures available to them suggested that the NDC was winning the election despite contrary results put across by the Electoral Commission.
The catchphrase was used to assuage the frustrations of its supporters as it was a tough moment to admit when the ruling NDC knew it was losing but had to fashion out a strategy to keep the hopes of its frustrated supporters.
The NDC lost miserably in the 2016 elections as opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo polled 53% of total valid votes cast as against John Mahama’s 44%.
The campaign spokesperson, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, and later Deputy General Secretary, Mr Anyidoho hanged on to the statement: “We are in a comfortable lead” as their anxious supporters demand assurances from the party hierarchy while the New Patriotic Party side was jubilating.