The ex-President has asked party members to blame him for NDC’s election defeat.
Former President Mahama has finally spoken up concerning heated arguments in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), over the cause of his unprecedented defeat in the December 2016 elections. The former president has taken full responsibility for his party’s defeat in the elections.
The opposition party has played the blame game for so long, following emerging talks on NDC’s election defeat in 2016, as well as Mahama’s possible candidacy for 2020 elections.
See Also: NDC Members Point Fingers Over Mahama’s Unprecedented Election Defeat
This led to the setting up of a thirteen member committee by the party executive, to investigate what accounted for the party’s defeat. The committee led by Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, was also tasked with the responsibility to provide political analysis that will help the party choose a good leader ahead of 2020 elections.
However, easing work for the committee, Mahama has said that all grievances should be directed at him because he led the party to the elections. The former president at a meeting with former appointees of government said amongst other things that as the captain of the ship -the NDC, he has taken full responsibility for their defeat.
He admitted there were things he should have done better to avert the party’s defeat. He, however, said the party should see the lapses as an opportunity to learn better ways of handling things, to avoid repeating same mistakes.
Mahama also bemoaned members’ usage of the media to express their grievances concerning the party’s poor outcome in the elections, as well as other seeming irregularities in the NDC. He urged them to rather take advantage of the Prof. Botchwey committee to express their grievances instead of the media.
Speaking on NDC’s election defeat in 2016, Mahama stressed there were complex reasons that could be attributed to the party’s loss, which is why members need to cooperate as the committee does a careful analysis of it,
We did Well -Mahama to NDC Members
Despite the disputes and arguments, former President Mahama has given his party members a thumbs up for a job well done, while in power. This is in reaction to the massive criticisms hurled at the former president’s administration. Some political stakeholders have attributed NDC’s election defeat in 2016 to the incompetence of the President’s team, corruption in government, among others.
But Mahama during the meeting asked them to hold their heads high amid the criticisms, as they effectively delivered their mandate while in power. The former president stressed that the NDC administration did a lot for the country and that only posterity will be the judge and vindicator of their “monumental achievements”.
“We should not feel depressed or feel ashamed about our service in government. It was outstanding. We must continue to defend the legacy of that government,” he said.
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