Former Member of Parliament for Nandom, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, has cautioned persons campaigning for Former President John Dramani Mahama to be elected as the flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) again to beware Mr Mahama’s candidature should not stop others who have an interest from contesting,
He stated that all qualified members should be allowed to take part in the competitive democratic process if they desire to hold the torch for the NDC in the 2024 elections.
There is a potential view the NDC seems to be looking to just one candidate and may not be creating space or opportunities for others in the upcoming internal polls to elect a flagbearer for the 2024 elections.
Asked whether he takes the view that it is only John Mahama who will most likely become the flagbearer for the NDC, Dr Kumbuor who is also a former Minister for Defence answered while speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, June 11 with Dzifa Bampoh that “I think that everybody, in a democracy, is entitled to his views. As to whether that view is right or wrong is another matter.
“I guess that probably, people who are expressing that view are expressing it from their perspective and not necessarily because it reflected on the grounds. People need to look at John Mahama’s candidature in a completely different context.
“He has been a vice president before, he has been a president before. Currently, he is a former President, so his stature looks different from all other entrants who might be coming and particularly the media will definitely be more interested in him because they have interacted with him.
“That is what seems to show the prominence that he plays. But I am not sure as a matter of politics with the NDC that this prevents any other person in a democratic competitive election from coming up and expressing what they bring to the table. So let us not look at what individuals are saying, they are entitled to their own opinions but the facts are out there for everybody to have his view.”
Buem Member of Parliament Kofi Adamsa had said on the same show that Mr Mahama is the most marketed person in the party at the moment to lead the NDC into the next general elections.
He asked all persons who have the ambition of being the flagbearer in the 2024 general elections to accept the fact that Mr Mahama’s name resonates with the people reason that he has been a sitting president and also a presidential candidate for the NDC in past elections.
He asked people not to accuse the leadership of the party of bias if Mr Mahama receives loud applause at NDC events and other functions because, in his view, people recognize him more than any other person in the party.
Even if he attends an event and people don’t see him, they can recognize him by his voice, Mr Adams said while advising that “people must accept to live with this.”
He was speaking on the 30th-anniversary celebration of the NDC marked on Friday 10th June.
Mr Adams further asked all party members to work and explain to new members what the NDC stands for. The former Deputy General Secretary of the party said “we have a bigger responsibility to let people know who we are. We can only do so if all of us will identify with the party.”
He added, “We can’t leave that to the flagbearer, the National Chairman, General Secretary, communicators, but all of us.