John Dramani Mahama
Plans by former President John Dramani Mahama to contest the 2020 election has hit the snug following a suit against his bid to represent the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) should he win the primaries.
In a suit filed at an Accra High Court, one Stephen Agyeman is challenging the constitutionality of Mr. Mahama’s bid to re-assume the highest political office of the country having lost the 2016 general elections miserably.
According to the plaintiff, Mr. Mahama has enjoyed some privileges as former President and raising funds to support his bid for re-election without Parliamentary approval violates the 1992 Constitution.
He is therefore praying the court to declare that John Mahama is not qualified to stand for re-election as president of the country.
Mr. Agyeman in his suit avers that Mr. Mahama “cannot purport to seek re-election as President of the Republic of Ghana” pursuant to Articles 68 clauses 2 to 9 of the Constitution.
He is thus, seeking “A declaration that pursuant to Article 66 (1) and 66 (2) of the 1992 Constitution, the defendant is not qualified as a candidate to stand for re-election as President of the Republic of Ghana on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.”
He is also seeking a declaration that Mr. Mahama’s establishment of a campaign office to coordinate his bid for re-election amounts to “an office of emolument or profit within the context of Article 68 (2) of the 1992 Constitution and same having been established without parliamentary permission is in contravention of Article 68 (2) of the 1992 Constitution.”
Former President Mahama lost the 2016 election President Nana Akufo-Addo by over one million, the first time a sitting President to lost to an opposition by such margin.
Mr. Mahama has since the miserable loss decided to contest the 2020 election on the tickets of the NDC.
The NDC is set to organise its primaries on February 23, 2019 to elect a flagbearer for the party for the 2020 election.
But there are some political analysts who have questioned the motive of the former President’s intensions to contest for the country’s highest office after the lost.
There are some who have accused him of desperation, calling his re-election bid a political gymnastics just to proof a point.
Some prominent members of his own party, including some of his former appointees have kicked against the likely choice of ex-president Mahama as National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2020 general election.
He has also come under fire for his marching the ruling NPP boot-for-boot comment in the aftermath of the violence that characterised the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak