Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and Ex-Prez John Mahama
Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former Trade and Industry Minister who is vying to become the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has urged ex-President John Mahama not to contest the upcoming presidential primary.
According to Mr. Spio-Garbrah, the former president has had his chance in terms of leading the NDC into presidential elections and must allow the other six contestants to do same.
“Former President Kufuor and Rawlings have finished their work and they are resting. If you are a former President Ghanaians take care of you so why don’t you allow Ghanaians to take care of you for another person to do the work.”
Mr. Spio-Garbrah, who was once Mr. Mahama’s boss at the Communications Ministry under the previous Rawlings administration, made the call in an interview with Peacefm, an Accra-based radio station on Thursday, January 24, 2019.
However, it appears his suggestion is coming belated since the former President has already filed his nomination and gone through vetting for the presidential primary slated for February 23, 2019.
According to Mr. Spio-Garbrah, the NDC delegates should vote for him to win the 2020 general elections.
He argued that it would not serve the NDC right to vote for ex-President Mahama because he (Mahama) can only keep the party in power for four years.
Mr. Spio-Garbrah said, “Mahama can only serve for four years so why won’t you go for someone who can go for eight years? The party should think about this…why don’t we look for a new leader right now for eight years in government…it’s Spio’s time, if you want the NDC to win 2020 then vote for Spio-Garbrah.”
NDC is expected to hold its presidential primary during the last Saturday of February after previously postponing the election twice.
The primary was first slated for December 7, 2018, but could not come off as planned, as the party’s leadership claimed the time between NDC’s congress and the presidential election was too short.
It was then scheduled for January 26, 2019, but again it could not take place because of a legal suit brought against the party in December 2018 by two of its members – James Kabu Nartey and Abdallah Issah.
The duo challenged the rules and guidelines set for the presidential primary scheduled for January 26, 2019.
By Melvin Tarlue