In a significant development for Ghana’s political landscape, the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has elected former President John Dramani Mahama as its flagbearer for the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The NDC delegates participated in primaries held over the weekend, selecting candidates for both the presidential and parliamentary polls.
With an overwhelming majority, Mahama secured 297,603 votes, equivalent to 98.9 percent, while his closest challenger, former Kumasi mayor Kojo Bonsu, received 3,181 votes, representing 1.1 percent of the total votes cast.
These primaries took place amidst Ghana’s ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a proposed $3 billion bailout to address the country’s economic crisis. Additionally, Ghana is confronted with a growing jihadist threat stemming from the conflict in neighboring Burkina Faso.
The voting process involved more than 355,000 NDC party delegates who gathered at 401 voting centers across the country. Mahama’s victory positions him as the NDC’s favored candidate for the presidency, despite his previous defeats in the 2016 and 2020 elections against the incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Mahama, aged 64, had expressed his intention to make a political comeback and competed against former central bank governor Kwabena Duffuor and Kojo Bonsu. However, Duffuor withdrew from the race late on Friday, citing concerns over the party’s ability to conduct a fair and transparent election.
Political analysts had widely predicted Mahama’s success in the primaries due to his experience and influence within the opposition party. Kwame Asah-Asante, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, highlighted Mahama’s marketability and opined that the party’s chances of returning to power were greater with Mahama as their candidate.
Duffuor, a former finance minister who commands a significant following in the Ashanti Region, a stronghold of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), initially raised concerns about electoral roll discrepancies and attempted to place a court injunction on the primary race. However, he rescinded his decision but ultimately withdrew from the race on the same day, citing concerns about the fairness of the election process.
The ruling New Patriotic Party is scheduled to hold its own primaries in November 2023, with the presidential election slated for December 7 the following year.
As the presidential campaign unfolds, Mahama is expected to capitalize on Ghana’s economic crisis, which poses significant challenges to the nation. Ghana, renowned for its cocoa and gold exports, has encountered difficulties servicing its external debts, including eurobonds. The government’s debt servicing expenses consume over half of its revenues.
Moreover, Ghana, alongside its coastal West African counterparts Benin, Togo, and Ivory Coast, anticipates a potential spillover of the jihadist conflict from Burkina Faso, where Islamist militants control substantial territories.
In summary, John Dramani Mahama’s resounding victory in the NDC primaries positions him as a formidable contender for the Ghanaian presidency in the highly anticipated 2024 elections. His candidacy comes at a critical juncture as Ghana navigates economic challenges and grapples with security concerns posed by regional instability.
Image Credit: John Mahama
