NDC would have lost the 2012 elections with Mills as flagbearer - Bature

Alhaji Bature Iddrisu, Managing Editor of the Al-Hajj Newspaper believes the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) could have lost the 2012 elections if Professor John Evans Atta Mills went into the polls as its flagbearer.

According to him, the death of the former President was a blessing in disguise for the umbrella family as it paved the way for Former President John Dramani Mahama to lead them to victory and mandated the party for another four-year term.

He explained that the economic challenges inherited by the late Professor Mills in 2009 coupled with the energy crises that bedeviled the country in 2012 accounted for the reason he is certain the NDC would have lost the polls.

“When Mills took over just like other successors, he had about $300 million support from the IMF which was a breeder. But by 2012 because of the energy crises and other challenges, the Mills administration found it itself in a difficult situation despite the successes they had chalked…. people were suffering. But for his death, the NDC could have lost the election”, he revealed.

Alhaji Bature, however, observed that Mills before his death laid a solid foundation for takeoff which propelled Mahama to embark on unprecedented developments in the country discounting claims he destroyed the country making him second after Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah to bring about enormous developmental projects.

In his view, Kufuor met similar challenges indicating that from 1995 to 1996, the country recorded negative growth under the Rawlings and his PNDC which is why when Kufuor took over in 2001 but opted for HIPC against objections from members of his own party

“President Kufuor had difficulty kick-starting his administration because from 1996, 1997 to 2000 the system was difficult. He took us to HIPIC and we had a relief and he managed to bring the situation under control but between 2004 and 2006 he also got to his limit….the cedi started taking a nosedive after 2006 making it worthless leading to the redenomination of the cedi. But after that it depreciated by 30% after 18 months because we had no productive activity in the country to sustain it”, he explained.