Don’t Dare 2020 – NDC Group Warns Mahama

A PRO-National Democratic Congress (NDC) pressure group, Action Movement, has warned former President John Mahama to forget about contesting for the party's 2020 presidential election ticket if he cannot come out clearly to explain what went wrong in 2016, leading to the party's humiliating defeat in the general elections to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

It would be recalled that ex-President Mahama addressing his former appointees recently said the party should blame him for its defeat in 2016.

Some party members have blamed the executives of the NDC for the party's defeat and in view of this, a thirteen member committee led by Prof. Kwesi Botchway was tasked to investigate the party's defeat.

But ex-President Mahama in a meeting with his former appointees on April 12, this year, said “Of course, as the general who led us into battle, I take ultimate responsibility for our losing the election and so if it will satisfy those people, blame me for the loss.”

However, addressing a press conference yesterday in Accra, the group indicated that it was just not enough for the former President to accept responsibility for the loss the party suffered in the hands of its opponents.

Some individuals believed to be from ex-President Mahama's quarters had stormed the conference, shouting that what the group was telling the media was untrue, causing disruption to the meeting at some point after some faceless individuals had earlier sent fictitious release, indicating that the press conference had been cancelled by the group even though it was scheduled to take place.

Spokesperson for the group, Kodzo Hamanya Keglo reading a statement on the occasion, said “JM should do what is honourable; he is causing our party a great harm by just saying that, he has taken responsibility of our lost.”

He said on behalf of the group that 'JM should stop the silence torture on our electorates and say exactly what he is taking responsibility for.”

“Who failed, who did not do his/her work well, where should money go for work and it did not go,” the group asked the former President.

“If JM does not come out immediately for what he has taken responsibility for, then it won't be morally right for him to organize himself as a candidate for the party. JM must not dare 2020 if he doesn't clear the air for what he has taken responsibility for,” the group observed.

Greedy Bastards
The group had earlier blamed the NDC's defeat on the appointments of numerous 'greedy bastards' by ex-President John Mahama.

They also claimed that the Mahama's brothers were the main reason why the NDC lost the 2016 elections, accusing them of collecting all contracts from airport, roads, Cocobod, GNPC, ECG, VRA, Ministry of Power and all major contracts in the country.

“If you don't see JM brothers, you cannot get a contract and if you see them, then you have to pay money before you get the contract, frustrating foreign contractors and companies by taking Ghanaian contractors for granted and creating enemies for the NDC party,” the group alleged.

Grassroots
The group indicated at the press conference that the grassroots of the NDC shall no longer be allowed to be ignored by the party's executives, saying “take your executive positions and we will take our party. Our aim is to win power for the party come 2020.”

The group lamented that the principles on which the NDC was founded were eroded under former President Mahama.

“Instead of being there for the people, our being causes gnashing of teeth and pain on our people. We have to bring back our principles,” it said, noting how Mr. Mahama succeeded during his four years tenure in breaking the women's wing of the opposition party.

The group indicated that “the Founder has always advised the NDC that power is for the people, but not for the executives. What we experienced in JM's administration was appointee power, executive power and disrespect and deceit for the grass root.”

BY Abigail Owiredu-Boateng