There are “better” prospective candidates to lead the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) into the 2020 presidential election than former President John Mahama, former head of the political science department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Richard Amoako Baah has said.
His assertion follows a comment by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that Mr Mahama remains the NDC’s best bet for 2020.
“He is my candidate, I can confirm that to you. If he throws his hat in the ring, he will have my full support. And I think that he is our best bet because on what record, who’s legacy will we be running on? It is his record,” Mr Ablakwa told Shamima Muslim on the Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News on Accra-based Citi FM on Tuesday, 28 February.
Apart from Mr Mahama, who lost the 7 December election to Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), names like Muhammed Ibn Chambas, Goosie Tanoh, Prof Joshua Alabi, Sylvester Mensah and Dr Ekow Spio Garbrah have been rumoured as possible flag bearer material for the NDC going into the 2020 elections.
Dr Amoako Baah, however, believes Mr Mahama will be a bad choice.
“…If you have several candidates, why would you bank your hopes on one candidate who has only one term when there are others who could do better?
“Let’s suppose that President Mahama wins the next one and then he goes one term and he has to step aside again, I mean it makes it more difficult for the party [to win again]. It’s not only that: are they saying there is nobody else in NDC that can lead the party, is that what people are saying? I mean President Mahama has served his term of office, he didn’t win, he lost, he lost big. …In politics you should put some of these emotions aside and look at the situation for what it really is.
He lost big when he was the incumbent president. What is the likelihood that he is going to do much better next time around? That’s the question that people have to ask,” Dr Amoako Baah said.
Dr Amoako Baah also wondered if the NDC was not putting the cart before the horse as far as the 2020 elections are concerned.
“What is the big hurry? It’s just way too soon for them to be talking like that. How do you even know Mr Mahama himself would want to be a candidate? So give it time.
I mean you lost an election how long ago; three months and you are thinking about four years? Some of the politicians themselves may not have any further appetite for politics, and, so, it’s just way too soon to be talking like that,” he said, adding he will not advice the NDC to go for Mr Mahama again.
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