Mahama snubs NDC’s Botchwey report

Former President John Dramani Mahama’s intention of contesting for the flagbearership race of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is no longer shrouded in secrecy as he has kicked-off his campaigns with regional visitations.

According to this paper’s sources close to the former President, he has snubbed the recommendations of the Prof Kwesi Botchwey Committee's report which recommended that the party should put together a group of credible and eminent members of the party to undertake a peacebuilding and healing of the country and has started his campaigns to make the grounds good for him before NDC officially open nominations.

As part of his campaign strategy, Mr Mahama, who as a sitting president, was slapped with a historical humiliating defeat during the 2016 presidential elections, is embarking on regional visitations to meet executives and influential members of the party.

Though the NDC’s national executive body has not come out with any planned reorganisation programme, the former president met key party members in the Eastern Region on Tuesday encouraging them to have faith in him and endorse his bid to lead the party into the 2020 general elections.

The ex-president, according to the paper’s information will continue to other regions to meet with regional executives and bigwigs of the party to declare his intention of running for the presidency again and to seek for their support.

These regional visitations were upon a recommendation by his research team that the former president, who seems to be fast losing his support base following his defeat, should regain it by visiting and familiarising himself with the grassroots of the party.

His research team also recommended that Mr Mahama should start wooing people considered to be influential in the NDC across the country.

Since the opposition NDC lost power last December, the party has witnessed massive tensions within its rank and file.

Some have called it post-elections defeat syndrome. Others say it is the awakening from the delusion of grandeur.

The tension seems to be escalating because former President Mahama who led the NDC into an electoral defeat is starting his campaigns for the flagbearership without waiting for the party to implement the Kwesi Botchwey Committee report.

According to our sources within the party, the move by the former president has angered key party people, including members of his camp.

Some have described his move as a betrayal after his brother Ibrahim Mahama announced publicly that the former president wasn’t going to run in 2020. In the same vein, some key party leaders, including national organiser and former campaign coordinator Kofi Adams, have come out to say that JM is the most viable candidate for the NDC in 2020.

A movement called JM Sankofa 2020 has subsequently emerged, trying to campaign for the return of Mr Mahama as the Presidential candidate for the NDC.

Their reasons, according to them, are that Mr Mahama is the most marketed candidate of the party. This, together with governance track records and achievements, will form the basis for any future NDC campaign.