The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) national delegates congress to elect a flagbearer and parliamentary candidates, risks not being held on the advertised date— May 13th, 2023. Information pieced together by this author suggests that one of the candidates— Dr. Kwabena Duffour is threatening to put court injunction on the Saturday congress.
It’s an occasion that many NDC supporters, party chieftains and even outside political watchers have termed “The Coronation” of former President Mahama. This group of people believe the congress will be a no contest for the former President who is expected to win hands down. So, in effect, delegates will only be out to reaffirm their support for the John Mahama candidature. That notwithstanding, Team Kwabena Duffour has already given the hint that the programme may not come on after-all.
The campaign team of Dr. Duffour has written to the executive leadership of the NDC complaining about how the party’s electoral commission is planning to rig the contest in favour one particular individual. Although the petition failed to name the said individual, many followers of the party as well as other political observers, believe the said individual is former President, John Dramani Mahama. Interestingly, the Duffour team failed to offer any such basis for the anticipated rigging.
The NDC is expected to elect a presidential candidate for the 2024 election on the said date. So far, three aspirants are in the reckoning. These are former President John Dramani Mahama, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, a former Finance Minister and Kojo Bonsu, a former Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Authority. Should the former win the primary, it would be his fourth time of running for the Ghanaian presidency. He first contested and won to be the President of Ghana in 2012; then competed again in 2016 and 2020, but lost to incumbent President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo on both occasions.
In the case of Dr. Duffour and Kojo Bonsu, this will be their first attempts. However, Kojo Bonsu expressed the intent in the NDC 2018 primary, but pulled out at the last count and offered his support for eventual winner, Mr. Mahama. Many had thought a similar story will play out this year too, immediately Kojo Bonsu announced his candidature. That has not been the case though. From all indications, the former Kumasi Mayor is prepared to go the long haul. So far, signs are that Mr. Mahama is coasting to an easy win over the two other candidates, recent polls by the Global Info Analytic (GIA) suggest so.
In the said polls, Mr. Mahama garnered 93 percent of delegates’ votes, against Dr. Duffuor’s four percent and Kojo Bonsu, three percent. It’s on the basis of what seemed an easy Mahama win, that political pundits believe Dr. Duffour is waging the psychological “war” to suggest that the former President, cannot win a free and fair election against the former finance minister.
It will also create a dilemma in the minds of delegates, hoping that Dr. Dufuor can capitalize on that state of uncertainty to score some decent votes, possibly to surpass that which were garnered by Speaker Alban Bagbin, Prof. Joshua Alabi, Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Augustus Goosie Obuadum Tandoh and Sylvester Mensah when the stated individuals challenged former President Mahama in the 2018 primary of the NDC. These were well—known individuals in the NDC whose association with the party even predates the formation of the NDC in 1993.
And so, for them to have been reduced to also-runs in the delegates election by Mr. Mahama, perhaps, suggests that both Duffour and Bonsu were ill-advised to go into the contest with the colossus former President. Although, Dr. Duffour in particular, maybe a very good candidate, pundits believe, no political party will trade Mr. Mahama for Dr. Duffour. He is simply invisible within the political space.
They support their stance with the analysis that after starring strongly against President Akufo Addo in 2020, Mr. Mama’s political and election profile has soared to the extent that he is about the only opposition candidate to wrestle power from the NPP, despite the fact that he has only a four- year term to run. Attempts by the former President to seek a second-year term, after his first four- year office was curtailed by President Akufo Addo in 2016.
So, by the constitution, the former President is legitimately qualified to stand for his last four-year term. However, this one area that Kwabena Duffuor backers claim could be the undoing of the NDC, if they should elect Mr. Mahama in the party’s presidential nomination. They cannot fathom why the NDC should still be thinking of a Mahama candidacy at a period that it has become a convention that every Ghanaian President is expected to go a full two-terms of eight years.
Almost all of Ghana Presidents in the Fourth Republic, save John Mahama and John Mills have gone a full two year-term. Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum smooth-sailed through all of their constitutionally mandated two-terms; current President, Nana Akufo Addo is also breezing to the second term finishing line. So far, it’s President Mills who couldn’t complete his first-year term due to his untimely death.
John Mahama who succeeded him only managed a one-year term. According to Kwabena Duffour’s team, Mr. Mahama blew his chance the moment he lost his re-election in 2016. And that explains why he again lost the 2020 presidential election. The Duffour advocates are thus warning the NDC delegates to look beyond the internal election process and look out for an NDC candidate who is qualified to contest the full eight-year term of the Ghanaian presidency.
