Founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has questioned the party’s ability to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr. Rawlings says he would be happy to see the NPP lose to his party in the 2020 polls but doubts if that could be realised considering the cracks in
“Let me simply say that I will very much want to see the NPP beaten but do we have what it takes? Do we have the capacity to be able to wrestle power from them?” the Former President questioned in an interview TV3's News360.
News was rife on Friday that the Former president had suggested that NPP would win the 2020 elections if it is able to sustain its performance within the next four years.
He was reported to have said the NPP will win in 2020 “If they do well in enough… And so far it doesn’t look too bad.”
Throwing more light on his statement, Rawlings noted the NDC has lost touch with the grassroots and the surest way to recapture power is by rebuilding a strong bond with the grassroots of the party.
"Let’s give the party back to them, they are the ones who actually make it possible to win or lose elections, let’s respect their views.”
He was worried that after the party’s congress held in Sunyani almost two decades ago, it has not been able to deal with issues that have plagued its electoral process.
“The manner in which the electoral process has been happening since Sunyani has not been encouraging. It’s unfortunate, most unfortunate how come we lost the moral high grounds. I think they know what needs to be done: he asserted.
Rawlings advised that “the most important factor I believe has to do with the issue of the cleanup that needs to be done; the restoration of our integrity. We don’t like to hear it but I keep repeating it. We have to go back, seek a moral high ground.”
The NDC lost the 2016 general elections in one of the nation’s most humiliating defeat recorded in its electoral history.
Akufo-Addo obtained a staggering 5,716,609 of total votes cast in the 2016 elections, representing 53.84%, to snatch the Presidency from John Mahama, who secured 4,713,277 votes (44.40%).
The NDC also lost more than 40 parliamentary seats to the NPP. This performance is the worst in the party’s history since 1992.
The party has since been characterised by infighting and internal divisions as they try to establish the causes of the party’s woeful performance in the last elections and rally round a candidate for the 2020 general elections.
Names such as Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Sylvester Mensah, Spio Garbrah, Horace Ankrah, Alban Bagbin, Oppong Ofosu and Joshua Alabi have come up as potential contenders for the flagbearer position on the ticket of opposition NDC as the party prepares to organise its congress.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings
