A senior lecturer at the Department of History and Political Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Daniel Owusu-Ansah, says that the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, will have a tough time convincing Ghanaians to vote for him in the 2024 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Asaase Radio yesterday, Mr Owusu-Ansah, however, said the outcome of the weekend’s NDC primaries shows that Mr Mahama is still a force to reckon with in Ghana politics.
“I think that he is still a strong candidate, but to be very honest with you, he would have to clean up some of the issues that really accounted for his failure in 2016. He would have to do a lot more,” the lecturer indicated.
“I think that his biggest problem will be to get the support of Ghanaians, after losing the 2016 elections. The issues are still fresh on our minds, and you will just need to start the campaign proper and you realise that these things will pop up again,” he stated.
Problem
The lecturer added: “Unfortunately for him, social media is always there, and he can always be referred to what he said, what he did, and couldn’t do in his first term, that is going to be his biggest problem,” he said.
Similarly, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has warned Ghanaians to be wary of the former President.
He said Ghanaians would make a very big mistake should they vote for him to return as President in the 2024 general elections.
Speaking on Accra based UTV, the regional chairman said John Mahama and his erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration collapsed businesses, hence the country does not need his return to power.
No return
Chairman Wontumi said: “John Mahama cannot return because it was during his tenure that so many businesses collapsed. It was during Mahama’s time when the banking crisis occurred,” he added.
Chairman Wontumi also likened a second coming of Mr. Mahama to that of former Black Stars coach Milovan Rajevac.
He said the abysmal performance of Milovan Rajevac in his second stint is what Ghanaians will get if they vote for John Mahama in 2024.
Relatedly, pollster Ben Ephson has also said it will be difficult for John Mahama to win the next elections.
In an interview with Kumaso-based Hello FM, Mr Ephson said: “Mahama will win [the NDC presidential slot], but it is 2024 that will be his problem. Mahama will win the NDC slot, he will win easily but 2024 is going to be his problem.”
Ashanti concern
Meanwhile, Mr John Dramani Mahama has underscored the importance of the Ashanti Region to the fortunes of the opposition party.
He said the NDC stands a big chance in the next general elections if they get substantial number of votes in the Ashanti Region.
The former President and NDC 2024 flagbearer told supporters in Nhyiaeso ahead of the weekend’s primaries that for the NDC to win any election, its numbers in the region would be very crucial.
“I have always said that victory in Ghana elections, if we are to win, Ashanti Region is very important for NDC’s victory.
“More often than not, we take it that Ashanti is not our stronghold so we relax, but the numbers we get in Ashanti is sometimes bigger than two or three regions.
“So, we are going to do hard work in Ashanti; the boot to boot I have talked about is here. The do-or-die is here. We don’t want anyone to be cheated and we won’t allow anyone to cheat us,” he stated.
