By William
Yaw Owusu
Monday May
28, 2018
It is becoming increasingly clear that
former Finance Minister under the JJ Rawlings’s administration, Professor Kwesi
Botchwey, is gearing up to contest for
the position of flag bearer on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) for the 2020 presidential election.
DAILY GUIDE is reliably
informed that Prof. Botchwey, who is Ghana’s longest serving finance minister,
is fast catching the ‘eyes’ of the NDC founder - former President Jerry John Rawlings
- who is believed to prefer any candidate apart from former President John
Dramani Mahama.
Prof. Botchwey’s campaigners believe that presenting
Mahama again for the 2020 elections will provide a great weapon for NDC’s
opponents and that all the other aspirants are connected with Mahama in one way
or the other, since they were in his government.
The aspirants who have so far made their intentions
known are Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban K.S. Bagbin; former NHIS
boss, Sylvester Mensah; former Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah;
former UPSA Rector, Joshua Alabi and Kweku Rickett Hagan, former Central
Regional Minister.
It is turning out that it was because of
the ‘attempts’ by some NDC elders and the party’s cadres to float the
candidature of Prof. Botchwey which allegedly has compelled Mr. Mahama to
announce his comeback earlier than expected.
As a prelude to the announcement, Kwesi
Botchwey is sharing a platform with the NDC founder at the June 4th Revolutionary Lecture Series on Thursday, May 31, 2018.
If confirmed, it will be the second time
the economics and finance guru is trying to lead the NDC, the first one being
in 2002 when he faced the late John Evans Atta Mills for the NDC slot to contest
then President J. A. Kufuor, who was seeking a second term in office.
A source indicated to DAILY
GUIDE that as one of the speakers, Prof. Botchwey is going to use the 2nd
edition of the Revolutionary Lecture Series - which forms part of activities
marking the 39th anniversary of the June 4th 1979 uprising - as a prelude to the
announcement of his interest in the NDC flag bearer race.
The lecture will be delivered under the
general theme, “Revolutionary Economic Trends, Ghana In Focus: Past, Present
And The Future.” It is being organized under the auspices of the Office of
former President Rawlings.
According to DAILY GUIDE sources, Kwesi Botchwey has not hidden his interest to
lead the NDC as he was said to have disclosed it to some members when he was charged
to tour the country to collate views in connection with the NDC’s humiliating
defeat in the 2016 general elections. He was made the leader of the 13-member
committee which after the investigation, released a damning verdict on former
President Mahama and members of his administration.
The Mahama camp has already started firing
since it became clear that Prof. Botchwey could enter the contest, accusing him
of skewing the Committee’s Report to suit his presidential ambition.
They are also ridiculing the camp of former
President Rawlings who, they say, is now shopping for a candidate.
Mr Rawlings per se is reportedly keeping his cards
close to his chest, but most party elders and cadres are in total support of
Prof Botchwey because they believe he stands a better chance than Mr. Mahama since
they say there is no corruption tag on him.
They are also pushing for the former finance
minister because they claim the NDC stands on the threshold of unity, unlike
Mr. Mahama who has been accused of ‘surrounding’ himself with the same people
that led the party to lose the 2016 elections.
According to NDC sources, the cadres, especially are
rooting for Prof. Botchwey because they suspect that another powerful faction
in the party (Ahwoi brothers) is allegedly pushing former President Mahama to
contest again to pave the way for them to get one of their brothers, who was a
former minister, to serve as the NDC running mate for 2020.
Ex-President Mahama, in his Facebook announcement,
had said that he had ‘listened’ to the numerous ‘calls’ of the rank and file of
the NDC and had accepted them; and so was ready to lead the party into another
election in 2020.
“To you the teeming supporters and sympathizers
calling and requesting me to declare my intentions for the future, I wish to
assure you today, that as a servant-leader, I have listened to your calls and
reflected. I will not disappoint you even as we await the publication of the
party’s guidelines for selecting a new leader,” Mr Mahama had posted.
His comeback attempt,
however, is starting another round of ‘serious infighting’ in the NDC.
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