Mahama begins campaign

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE suggests that ex-President John Mahama has resumed his ‘secret’ campaign activities for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidacy for the 2020 presidential election.

According to sources, Mr. Mahama’s ‘boys’ – Edudze Tamakloe, Abraham Ferguson and Rabiu – have started holding a series of meetings in Accra and Tamale in the Greater Accra and the Northern Regions respectively, as a prelude for his campaign.

It is believed that they will be organizing a special walk in Tamale today, September 9, to apparently raise awareness about the former president’s intention.

Former President Mahama yesterday hinted of his preparedness to participate in the “Unity Walk” in Tamale today. He said the solidarity walk had been designed to show that members of the NDC are one, and to raise the spirit of its members.

Since the NDC lost the 2016 polls, the party has not been the same, with factions tearing themselves apart.

Former Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) boss, Kojo Bonsu, is reportedly leading the 2020 campaign of Mr Mahama in Tamale with the unity walk.

They are said to be moving round Tamale and its surrounding towns to appeal to NDC supporters to come out in their numbers to participate in the ‘JM 2020’ comeback campaign walk.

According to reports, one of the strategies being used by Mr. Mahama’s ‘boys’ is to organise people from the Greater Accra, Brong-Ahafo and Ashanti Regions to Tamale in their numbers to convince supporters of the NDC in the north that he (Mahama) is the best bet for 2020.

Sources suggest that the said individuals, who are being transported to Tamale, are being paid GH¢50 each as feeding fee.

They claim JM’s secret meetings and his campaign strategy are a clear indication that he is ignoring Prof Kwesi Botchwey report’s recommendations.

Many NDC gurus, DAILY GUIDE understands, are worried that should Mahama get the nod, he might not listen to any advice from the party as happened in his administration, which culminated in the NDC’s shameful electoral defeat in 2016.

Yesterday Mr Mahama attended the induction of the first batch of students to be admitted at the Ghana Institute of Social Democracy (GISD) – an ideological school of the NDC – at the party’s headquarters in Accra.

He discounted suggestions that the school is aimed at brainwashing its students.

According to him, the school would serve as a source of knowledge not only for party cadres, but people who share the same ideology “to gain ideas of leadership, nationalism and patriotism.”

The former president underscored, “Contrary to widespread perception, institutes like this are not institutes for indoctrinating people. The perception in the First Republic was that the ideological institutes were set up to brainwash and to become ideologically robust of the governing party. But this is not the case.

“If you look at the curriculum of the ideological institute, it contains programmes of leadership, how to lead in a community; it contains programmes of party activism; it also contains programmes of community self-help; it contains programmes of nationalism, patriotism – how to be patriotic to your country.”

The NDC launched the institute about a month ago with the aim of inculcating the party’s principles, ideologies and values to members.

The induction ceremony was attended by Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, former Vice President; Julius Debrah, former Chief of Staff; Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of the NDC and Lee Ocran, first National Vice Chairman/Acting National Chairman of the NDC.

Others are Dr William Ahadze, Acting Rector, GISD and the NDC’s Director of Research; Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, a member of the NDC’s Council of Elders and Anita Desoso, National Vice Chairperson of the NDC.