Former president John Mahama has an unmatched record to easily beat a “serial loser” like now President Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election.
That’s according Major (retd) Boakye Gyan, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress. His forecast comes at a time when internal search for NDC 2020 flagbearer hots up behind the scenes. Though some leaders of the party have made known their intention to run on the party’s ticket, Maj. Boakye Djan told Winston Amoah on 3FM Sunrise Thursday the party’s best bet, “objectively”, is Mr. Mahama.
“He is the best thing that the NDC has” he emphasised, as against Nana Akufo-Addo who “led the NPP into three serial losses” . Maj. Boakye Gyan explained his analogy: “[Mahama] has won one [election] and lost one, Kufuor lost one and won two, Mills lost three and won one, Akufo-Addo lost three and won one. So if Akufo-Addo is put against Mahama, Mahama is in form. If it was a horse race, I will go and bank on him [Mahama] to win”. Maj. Gyan, a former ally of ex-president Rawlings during Ghana’s revolution, graded Mahama higher than all since 1992 with a good record to win an election.
“The objective way of assessing the field of potential competitors is the record, that’s what we have, and Mahama’s record is the best that we have in the Fourth Republic.” Even though Mr. Rawlings won two consecutive elections, he was disqualified per Boakye Gyan’s grading system because he first “grabbed power with the army”. SPOILT FOR CHOICE Citing the number of eligible personalities within the NDC who have put themselves up to lead the NDC in 2020, Maj. Boakye Gyan concluded, “the NDC is spoilt for choice. They are all good people”. WAITING Irrespective of the number of potential presidents available to the NDC, he proposed a creation of what he called a “waiting tradition” for those identified to “learn on the job”. CATCHING UP He said with a “little shakeup” within the party, the NDC with Mahama will stand in a pole position to wrest power from the New Patriotic Party. “The NDC is a winning party, the winning way is undisputable.
Since 1992 there have been seven elections: we (NDC) have won four, the NPP has just won three; so they have a catching up to do with us. “And Mahama is the best General to do that because when it comes to Akufo-Addo and Mahama game, I’m looking forward to it, then Ghanaians have had a taste of living under [Akufo-Addo] for four years.”
By Isaac Essel