NDC will bounce back – Mahama

In early January 2017, Mr Mahama’s younger brother and Chief Executive Officer of Engineers and Planners, Mr Ibrahim Mahama, told a group of journalists that the former President’s family had been advising him not to contest the National Democratic Congress primary to select a candidate for 2020, and added: “He (former President Mahama) agreed with us.”

There is an ongoing debate on Mr Mahama’s future after he lost the December 2016 presidential election to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

His immediate family members have been insisting he should call time on local politics, however some leaders of the NDC, including Mr Kofi Adams, its National Organiser, and Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, have rejected the idea, insisting that Ghana’s first one-term President is the NDC’s best bet for Election 2020.

Joining the debate, Mr Ibrahim Mahama said: “John has given his all in politics to the NDC and Ghana and we think it is just fair that we allow him to rest. We were very supportive and instrumental in convincing him to partner the late Prof. J.E.A. Mills, and when the time came for him to contest for President, we supported him and advised him to go for it…Now we have advised him not to make a comeback in 2020,” he said.

While appreciating the support from those urging Mr Mahama to stage a comeback, Ibrahim said “it is important for those calling for his comeback to also respect the family’s judgement”.

A number of NDC folks have hailed Mr Mahama’s Friday afternoon Twitter post and interpreted it to mean a sign he may come back.

Mr Sampson Ahi, an MP and former deputy minister for Works and Housing for instance in a radio interview on Accra based Montie FM said he was delighted about the post.