2024 polls: Drop Opoku-Agyemang, go for Ga running mate – Ras Mubarak to Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama should stand for the 2024 polls but he must opt for a Ga person as running mate instead of repeating Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has said.

Mr Mubarak told Nana Aba Anamoah on Accra-based Starr FM on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 that: “I think Mahama should go in 2024 and I think we should have early party organisation”.

“So, Mahama should go for 2024 but I think we could do with a change in running mate”, he suggesting and proposed: “A Ga running mate would be great,” he added.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently predicted victory for the NDC in the 2024 general elections.

“The next parliamentary and presidential elections are due in 2024. Under the constitutionally mandated term limits, Mr Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term."

“Mr Mahama is reportedly considering whether to run again but we expect the NDC to seek to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate."

“After two terms of NPP government, we expect the NDC to win the 2024 presidential election and to gain a small majority in parliament,” the EIU said.

The report noted: “In the 2020 parliamentary election, the NPP and the NDC each won 137 seats, but in January the one independent Member of Parliament (MP) announced that he would co-operate with the NPP, giving it the 138 seats needed for an effective majority”.

“With a razor-thin majority, the Akufo-Addo administration will require all of its MPs to vote with the party in order to push through signature policies, which is likely to necessitate deal-making to persuade MPs, which stands to obstruct immediate policy priorities, such as reducing a large fiscal overhang through expenditure cuts and tax rises”.

Even though Mr Mahama has not made any comment about his future political career, some prominent voices in the party are pushing for him to have another go at the presidency.

One of those advocates is Builsa South MP, Clement Apaak, who recently said no other person but former President Mahama must lead the NDC into the 2024 general elections.

In his view, Mr Mahama was robbed of victory in the 2020 elections through dubious means, thus, must be allowed to be the automatic flag bearer of the party.

“There is no way the NDC would’ve had in excess of 137 seats in the eighth parliament of the Republic of Ghana if not because we campaigned on the record of the NDC and the specific track record of our flag bearer John Dramani Mahama”, Dr Apaak told Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Class91.3FM’s 505 news programme on Wednesday, 17 March 2021.

“So, on this basis, I believe, and many believe that the man has been denied the mandate which was accorded him by the people by persons put in position by his competitor to do just that and on that basis, there wouldn’t be the need to spend time, resources and energy trying to find somebody to lead us into 2024”, he argued.

According to him, “the man who won, who was denied his mandate, must be the one that we should present”.

Mr Mahama lost the 2020 election to President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Unsatisfied with the results, the former President filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the results.

The apex court eventually upheld the results as declared by the Electoral Commission.

Mr Mahama disagreed with the judgment but observed that it was legally binding on him.