I am not a registered voter. Wherever I am, I in anyway identify myself as an extremist, yes, a die-hard follower of JJR. My frequent writings at Ghanaweb over the past twenty years will attest to this.

Now, following the events after the 2016 elections, the Akatamanso circus gets more and more exciting.

It is true the President John IV led the NDC into a “ditch”. It is also true that President John IV’s brother Ibrahim Mahama did state, that their Family had asked Former President NOT TO CONTEST as President again.

So what happened? Several capable, well-meaning Cadres have risen up to take up the mantle of Jerry Rawlings’ Political Party, the PNDC minus “P”, the NDC. Then when these gallant men of the Akatamanso Family started selling their ideas to Ghanaians about their interest to lead NDC from “Their accident of 2016” back to recovery, the greatest shock I will call it, did happen.

President John IV now came to announce that he will contest for NDC Leadership. Oh yes, Bob Marley sang it: “He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day…”.

Many inner-core Akatamansonians and latter-day saints continue to call on John IV to bow out and project a new face to take up NDC leadership.

At the same time, many Akatamansonians daily impress upon John IV to get back to the race so as to struggle things with NADAA.

We have all seen, that these interested Cadres have all traveled across the length and breadth of Ghana, selling their ideas; many of them emphasizing that JOHN IV need not come back, when they should be selling their fresher ideas. I fully understand, and do agree, that selling ideas will best be done at the right time when campaign against the elephant actually starts. So much money has already been spent by these Cadres and just when they had all attended the Nationwide Congress, waiting for the new Officers to fix things for the Presidential Candidate Elections, there comes this shocker of GHC420k FILING FEES.

The filing fee is a huge one, no doubt. BUT my call in this article is for these gallant men, these noble compatriots, the Presidents that we never had, to throw in the towel and not to give NDC this huge amount. They should simply let go.

WHY DO I SAY THIS? President John IV has one single advantage that none of these great men have. And this is the very first time in the Republic of Ghana. The fact that President John IV is a FORMER PRESIDENT, hmmmnn, that is a sad one in reality. He is a former President. It will be the same thing if JJR was standing. His CABINET will go for him. His appointees will, in a “natural justice point of view” go for him. To me, all those gunning for John IV are not doing so because they dislike the other great candidates. MPs doing so are not doing it because they so hate ASK Bagbin in Parliament. It is all because JOHN IV has decided to stand, the first time in our country’s history.

So dear Comrades, I call on God Almighty to touch your hearts. As long as John IV remains a FORMER PRESIDENT, please do not go to throw this huge amount, even though each of you may also have 1000 NDC followers (Ghanaians) who are too willing to pay ordinary GHC45 each for your filing. My call is unbiased. I just see the IMBALANCE and so appeal to you all to give the ambition up. You will remain more popular and in no way are you “conceding defeat”.

God bless each one of you and LONG LIVE THE AKATAMANSO FAMILY. Long live mother Ghana.

DZIKO KWAME