NDC has the potential to win election 2020 - Mahama

Former president John Dramani Mahama, is optimistic the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has the potential to recapture power in 2020. The former president also indicated that his party can also recapture about fifty sits in parliament from the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr. Mahama was speaking at a dialogue meeting organised by former Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive officers (MMDCEs) who served under the erstwhile NDC governments and warned that we can only return to power when put our houses in order .

He said the NDC followers must be proud of their achievements in power despite the challenges they in his first year in power.

He amongst other things mentioned the 2012 election petition that lasted for about eight months. The election petition brought everything to a standstill as all things were focused on the ongoing sitting coupled with stand and weight attitude adopted by our development partners and donors.

He further mentioned the energy crisis and the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) bequeathed to the Mills government by former president Kufuor. “We were able to deal with all these challenges massively before we exited office in January 2017", he noted.

We pursued a rigorous and robust economic process to stabilise the economy, we expanded electricity to most parts of the country, ensured people have access to portable and adequate drinking water expanded and improved both the health and education sectors all in four years.

He applauded the current path been pursued by the party' s executive body after the election defeat which included the setting up of the Prof. Kwesi Botchwey committee to investigate the cause of the defeat and come up with a recommendation on the way forward for the party

The Committee according to the former President did a great job by touring the whole nation to solicit the views of the party's followers He added that the document produced by the committee and its recommendations is a very good document which the party must adhere with to prepare for election 2020.

Mr. Mahama encouraged the former MMDCEs and other former government appointees to continue to show interest in the reorganisation process of the party by supporting the party financially and other means. He used the occasion to commend the efforts of certain individuals within the party who have been financing the party's activities from their own means and called on all well to do members of the party to emulate their examples

On his part, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu corroborated Mr. Mahama’s claims and stated that the NDC is the party in waiting to form the next government come 2021 He however pinpointed certain shortfalls within the NDC structure which needs to be corrected through the party's constitution. For instance, Haruna Iddrisu noted that there are certain initiatives which needs to be implemented by the NDC which claimed to be a social democrat party.

The NPP today is seen to be a social democrat than the NDC simply because they have towed the path of the social democrats that we have deserted He mentioned policies such as the free SHS, One District One Factory, Planting for Foods and jobs, nursing allowances amongst others which are been pursued by the NPP and they are making that party popular in the eyes of the people.

He proposed for the amending of the NDC constitution to make it compulsory on the president to consult the National Executive Committee ((NEC) before appointing public officials such as Ministers and Mayors "This he said is because sometimes some of our consultations with regards appointments into government is killing and making the party unpopular".

Comrade Kofi Portuphy, the NDC National Chairman urged the former MMDCEs to not consign the outcome of the meeting to themselves but spread the message amongst the grassroots in their respective districts. Among the causes of our defeat in the last election was the disconnection between the party's hierarchy and the grassroots which must be corrected prior to the next election.

The occasion brought together other NDC stalwarts such as Dr. Spio Garbrah, former Trades and Industry Minister, Mr. Julius Debrah ,the immediate past Chief of Staff, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Mr. Nuamah Donkor, a former Minister during Mr. Rawlings 's regime amongst others