The office of former President John Dramani Mahama says it is unperturbed by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) claim that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) can only win the 2024 polls with a fresh presidential candidate.
EIU in its five-year report on Ghana predicted victory for the NDC in 2024, but was quick to urge the party to contest with a candidate other than John Mahama to revitalize its prospects.
However, a special aide to the former President, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, in an interview with Citi News, indicated that the former president’s decision to contest is based on a clarion call by the rank and file of the party.
“I think that people are tired of the stories about wanton corruption and dissipation of public funds and I think that people believe that President Mahama deserves more than anything ever to come into office, and complete the process he started,” she explained.
It said the chances of the NDC will be higher if Mr. Mahama, who led the party to two election losses in 2016 and 2020, is replaced to re-energise the party and boost its prospects.
“The next parliamentary and presidential elections are due in 2024. Under constitutionally mandated term limits, the incumbent president, Mr. Akufo-Addo, cannot run for a third term. The former president, John Mahama, is reportedly considering running again, but we expect the opposition NDC to try to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate”, the EIU said.
“Our baseline forecast is that ongoing public dissatisfaction with the slow pace of improvements in governance—such as infrastructure development, job creation, and easing of corruption—will trigger anti-incumbency factors and push the electorate to seek a change. The NDC, therefore, stands a reasonable chance of winning the 2024 elections”, parts of the EIU report mentioned.
In a related story, a former Deputy Minister for Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has rejected portions of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s 2022 report.
Reacting to the report on Joy FM’s Midday News with Emefa Apawu on Tuesday, he said it is obvious that the NDC will win the 2024 polls.
“I think that from a purely common sense standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to go and change a candidate who did so well.”
According to him, John Mahama has a proven track record that the governing party cannot match.
He stated that it won’t make sense for the party to waste resources in changing him because he resonates with the rank and file of the party.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu said the NDC only has to correct whatever went wrong in the 2020 elections to ensure a smooth victory.
“I think President Mahama resonates with the rank and file of the NDC. Everybody knows that he has a stellar track record that completely dwarfs anything or anyone the NPP offers.
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