Election 2020: I will cross bridge' when time comes – Bagbin

Nadowli-Kaleo MP Alban Bagbin, according to his aide, Konnuba Joseph, will “consider” the calls on him by the grassroots to run for president in 2020 when the time comes.

Mr Joseph told Moro Awudu on Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 3 May that although Mr Bagbin, who has served in parliament since 1993, does not know those behind the circulation on social media of 2020 posters announcing him as the main opposition National Democratic Congress’ preferred presidential candidate, he is well aware of several appeals on him to run for president and will consider those appeals in due time.

“After our defeat in the elections, there have been an increasing clarion call that we need somebody in the middle-ground to take over the party and lead it back to power and these calls have been directed towards Hon Alban Bagbin, but of course what he has always stated … the appeal he has always made to the party grassroots supporters and people who feel he is in a position to lead the party back to power is that: ‘Now is the time for us to reorganise the party, now is the time for us to do certain basic stuff and look at the issues, do the diagnosis as to why we lost the elections’.

“He has appealed to every member of the party to concentrate on that and that when the time comes for presidential primaries, the increasing appeals and calls they are giving for him to consider contesting for the flagbearership position of the party, he will give it the consideration.

“After all, his 25-year stay in parliament has always been a call to serve his people. Every four years they call him to serve and he always responded by contesting and coming to serve them better.

“He served his constituency well and he served his party and country as a whole well, so he said that when the time comes for us to cross that bridge, we’ll cross but the most important thing now is for the party to do the reorganisation. He is aware of the rules and regulations of the party and he is appealing to those doing that to wait when the time comes for the party to open the flagbearerhsip race, he’ll give consideration to their suggestions,” Mr Joseph said.

After the NDC lost the 2016 elections, a few names, including that of Mr Bagbin have been speculated as possible contestants for the flag bearer slot of the party. The others include former Trade Minister Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Sylvester Mensah, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hanna Tetteh, former Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and Mr Gosie Tanoh.