Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of NDC
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is at the moment looking into what led to its defeat in last year’s elections, and, thus, will not be drawn into discussions about who leads the party into the 2020 polls, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the NDC, has said.
His comment follows pressure on former President John Dramani Mahama to offer himself as presidential candidate of the party for the next poll.
Some leaders of the NDC, including National Organiser Kofi Adams and Odododiodoo MP Nii Lantey Vanderpuye have insisted that Mr Mahama, who served for only one term as president, consider leading the party once more.
But the immediate family of the former president also insists that he should call time on his political career.
President Mahama’s younger brother and the Chief Executive Officer of Engineers and Planners, Ibrahim Mahama, told a group of journalists: “John [Mahama] has given his all in politics to the NDC and Ghana and we think it is just fair that we allow him to rest. We were very supportive and instrumental in convincing him to partner the late Prof J.E.A. Mills, and when the time came for him to contest for president, we supported him and advised him to go for it…Now we have advised him not to make a comeback in 2020.”
Speaking in relation to this development in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Tuesday January 10, Mr Asiedu Nketia said: “We haven’t reached the stage where we will select a flag bearer for the NDC. We went into an election and lost and so we are looking into what led to our defeat in the elections and prepare ourselves for the next elections. When we are done then we will think of who leads the NDC into the next elections as flag bearer.
“And so we have not reached the stage where we will talk about a presidential candidate for our party. Predicting who will be presidential candidate for the NDC is not and has not been my style.”
