I had a dream: The return of Mahama and the NDC’s breakup

I have never been a pastor, a soothsayer, a prophet or a necromancer (a wizard or magician). Yet my dreams mostly come to pass.

Didn’t I dream about the NDC’s humiliating defeat in the 2016 general election?

Indeed, I dreamt and further predicted on numerous occasions about former President Mahama’s humiliating defeat.

Unsurprisingly, however, I received an avalanche of harsh criticisms and needless insults from the NDC party faithful for predicting their election defeat.

Somehow, the NDC loyalists were extremely confident of electoral victory prior to the 2016 General Election.

In fact, the NDC leadership were so confident to an extent that they insisted on getting over one million votes in the Ashanti Region, the stronghold of their political opponents, the NPP.

It was indeed surprising for a government who failed abysmally to improve upon the previously booming economy – brought about stiff utility bills and high fuel prices (water, electricity, gas, petrol and diesel), failed to end the dumsor which crippled businesses, collapsed the NHIS in the Ashanti Region as a result of the introduction of capitation – to maintain that they were going to receive one million votes in the Ashanti Region.

In their desperate attempts to motivate their downhearted party supporters before the announcement of the election results, the leadership incredibly assured the supporters of their ‘comfortable lead’ in the race to the ‘Flagstaff House’.

Nevertheless, their much touted ‘comfortable lead’ was soon to be metamorphosed into a humiliating defeat.

The NDC faithful received a shock of their lives and it was later alleged that the vast majority of the supporters sadly suffered heart muscle fibrillation.

It is against such a credible background that I shivered repeatedly following a dream I had about a split of the NDC upon former President Mahama’s return as a flagbearer.

Well, let us put dreams aside, the vineyard news and other sources have it that the Professor Kwesi Botchwey Election Fact-finding Committee’s report has indicted former President Mahama.

The sources have it that former President Mahama contributed largely to the NDC’s 2016 humiliating election defeat.

There are those who believe that Ex-President Mahama’s woeful errors in judgement accounted for the NDC’s 2016 election loss.

Some party supporters insist that former President Mahama woefully turned a blind eye to their concerns over his association with election money ‘grabbers’.

Apparently, the concerned party loyalists were worried over the actions and inactions of the numerous fun clubs for Mahama 2016.

Indeed, there were numerous fun clubs for Mahama, which included among others, ‘Artists for Mahama, ‘Barbers for Mahama, Butchers for Mahama, Mahama Ladies, Akpeteshie Sellers for Mahama, Drunkards for Mahama, Macho Men for Mahama, etc.

The aggrieved diehard NDC supporters beef stemmed from the fact that although the vast majority of the Mahama fun clubs members were novices in electioneering campaign, they were entrusted with such a responsibility.

Somehow, former President Mahama’s association with the novices and his apparent poor economic management incensed the vast majority of party faithful, who even threatened to boycott the 2016 General Elections.

The NDC party faithful however maintained that the straw that broke the camel’s back was when President Mahama unjustifiably gave Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) two four wheel drive cars and a luxury bungalow (estimated to cost a staggering $470,000) for no work done.

Consequently, leading to the 2016 General Elections, there were numerous publications on the rebellious NDC supporters.

“NDC supporters threaten to leave party over preferential treatment given to John Dumelo, Mr Beautiful, Tracey Boakye and co” (ghanakasa.com).

“Angry residents of Gbulung and its surrounding communities in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region have threatened to boycott the 2016 polls if government fails to fix their road”.

“About a thousand of them including sub and youth chiefs, opinion leaders and assembly members, joined a massive demonstration on Wednesday August 17, 2016 to express their anger”.

“They held placards some of which read, “John Mahama stop sleeping”, “NDC since 92 why,” “JM it is going against us why,” “We are tired, no road no vote,” “John Mahama, remember where you are coming from” (citifmonline.com).

“Ho residents in the Volta region, called the bluff of the Volta regional Minister, Madam Helen Notoso as they protested over the poor road networks in the municipality”. The aggrieved residents say they are tired of government’s failure to fix the bad roads in the area.

“The protestors ignored warnings from the Police and the regional minister not to demonstrate without police protection”.

“The poor turnout did not however prevent the protestors from presenting a petition to the president through the regional minister”.

“Some of the demonstrators speaking to Starr News said the bad nature of the roads is making life unbearable for residents”. “They warned the governing NDC they are likely to lose more votes in the region in the upcoming 2016 elections if the government does not pay attention to their needs” (starrfmonline.com; peacefmonline.com; ghanaweb.com; modernghana.com).

Following their humiliating 2016 election defeat, the NDC leadership have been vigorously fighting their way through in a desperate attempt to convince their aggrieved supporters of their consuming desire to recapture power in 2020.

The General Secretary of the party, Asiedu Nketia and his cohorts have been holding a phantom believe that they lost the 2016 elections because their aggrieved supporters failed to cast their vote.

Somehow, the NDC apparatchiks’ ridiculous denial over the election defeat gave rise to a fact-finding committee to uncover the reasons for their defeat.

It is, however, quite ironic that the NDC loyalists do not want to acknowledge the fact that Ghana’s economy was in some state prior to the 2016 election as a large portion of the country’s resources went down the drain from the irreversible mismanagement and the wanton sleaze and corruptions committed by the officials of the Mahama’s administration.

It is indeed heartrending for one to recount how Ghana’s economy sunk deeper and deeper into the mire under President Mahama’s leadership.

So, it is not quite surprising that while the Mahama loyalists are moving heaven and earth to have him back as the party’s next presidential candidate, the sceptics are insisting that Mahama was not up to the task during his tenure in office and must thus be replaced with a more capable flagbearer.

Consequently, the seeming squabbling has culminated in a tussle over the choice of a more capable flagbearer to lead them to recapture the elusive victory in the 2020 general election.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, a few presidential aspirants have come forward and hinted of their interest in the NDC’s flagbearership position.

Predictably, the supporters are throwing their unflinching support behind their favourite aspirants.

Strangely though, despite the fact that the argument about former President Mahama’s unpopularity somewhat tilts in the sceptics favour, the diehard supporters will somehow succeed in their quest to bring back Mahama as their flagbearer if he decides to accept their invitation.

Obviously, the vast majority of the NDC loyalists are living in a denial about former President Mahama’s much touted popularity and will thus choose him any day over any other presidential aspirant.

In my view, therefore, it would be unjustifiable for sceptics to tag a reflective forecaster as an irresponsible doom prophet for venturing to prognosticate that the NDC Party could split into uncountable parts before their flagbearership contest in 2018.