‘It’s good NDC lost 2016 elections’ – Mahama declares

Former President John Mahama says it was good that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the 2016 general elections.

He argued if that had not happened, Ghanaians wouldn’t have appreciated the good work done by the eight-year reign of the NDC, most of which were under his leadership. President Mahama said if the NDC had won the elections, Ghanaians would have continued to haunt his administration that Akufo-Addo would have performed better if he had won.

“It is not for nothing that God asked us to step aside, if God hadn’t let us step aside, Ghanaians would have not appreciated anything that we do because they would say if Nana Akufo-Addo had won, he would have reduced fuel prices, he would have provided employment for everyone, he would have reduced utility tariff…,” he told party members and supporters Saturday.

Addressing them during a Unity Walk in Tamale, the former president thus said “…it is good that we lost but now they are witnessing [for] themselves what the New Patriotic Party is doing”.

Let’s cease the blame game

Meanwhile he has urged party executives, supporters, and sympathizers of the NDC to quit the blame game, forgive, and reconcile with each other as the party marks eight months in opposition. He observed the eight months have been characterized by blame games, rebuking, and names calling, adding it is time they all put the past behind them in order for the NDC to forge ahead towards winning the 2020 general election.

“When you come out of a defeat, you need time to heal and so in the aftermath of the defeat [there will be] quarrels among you as to who caused that defeat but after you have gone through that process we call patsy, you must put your differences behind and start to look forward towards the next battle.

“So let’s say that after eight months of quarrelling and accusing each other and doing everything in disagreement, the time has come to put those disagreements behind us and look forward towards the battle of 2020,” he urged members of the party.

Mr Mahama lauded the Unity Walk idea which he said was initiated by Kojo Bonsu and Joseph Akamba, and urged the party consider replicating same in all the other regions He said it would be a mechanism to mend the cracks within the party, promising to partake in such walks once he is available.