John Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama has officially declared his intention to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 presidential elections.
Mr. Mahama said he took the decision after months of prayers, broad consultation and sober reflection.
This will be the second attempt the former President is seeking to make a comback to power after the embarrassing defeat of 2016 when he lost power as sitting president with over one million votes and it will be historic in the annals of the country if he wins the 2024 elections.
He is expected to face a new candidate from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as veteran Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, whom he once defeated in 2012, is not longer eligible to contest.
The current president has served his mandatory two terms of eight years.
Launching his bid at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at Sokode in the Volta Region on Thursday, March 2, 2023, Mr Mahama believes that at this stage what Ghana needs is experience as well as togetherness.
“I have searched my soul and paid close attention to your voices, to your daily struggles and to your present national predicament.
“At this stage, Ghana demands experience not experiment, Ghana demands togetherness and not divisiveness, now is the time for the bravery of heart and clarity of purpose.”
He described the 2024 elections as the most important and defining elections in the history of the country given the “most difficult and challenging period of our history” in the past six years.
He described the Akufo-Addo-led administration as “clueless and at many times callous”.
“We are saddled with debt we simply cannot pay,” he pointed out, adding that the current administration has subjected the country to ignominy in the eyes of the international community.
The former President lambasted the Akufo-Addo administration for the economic challenges in the country.
According to him, albeit the hard work of his administration, Ghanaians decided to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 general elections due to the “lofty” promises by the then opposition party in hope that their problems will be resolved.
He said Ghanaians have however been disappointed by the Akufo-Addo government.
“This government has been clueless and in many ways callous the unthinkable has happened and our country today is broken on all fronts, Ghana is bankrupt.
“We are saddled with debts we simply can’t pay, we have suffered the global humiliation of defaulting on our debts and being downgraded by all credit rating agencies to the lowest level ever seen in our history”
He added “Our economy is in the worst ever shape with suffering and pain on an unprecedented level.”
He further said he does not take his decision to contest in the flagbearer elections of the NDC lightly.
In his view, the 2020 general election is the most important and defining poll in the Fourth Republic hence his decision to contest.
“For the 2024 elections which I consider to be the most important and defining poll of our time, I have not taken this step lightly, it has been the product of months of prayer, broad consultations and sober reflections.
The NDC Presidential Primary is scheduled for Saturday, May 13 with Mr. Mahama as the most favourite in the midst of Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Kojo Bonsu and Ernest Korbea.
By Vincent Kubi