Former First Lady, Lordina Mahama
If anybody, by any stretch of imagination, thought the woes of the ‘lame horse’ opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was over ahead of the 2020 general elections, with the selection of a running mate, then such a person might want to have a rethink.
Insider sources say the choice of the former Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, as the running mate to the party’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has infuriated some big wigs in the party, threatening to divide the party into pieces.
According to Daily Statesman insider sources within the NDC, “A Gang of Seven” (G7), working with former First Lady Lordina Mahama as its special advisor, unilaterally decided on the choice of the former University of Cape Coast Vice-Chancellor without recourse to proper laid down internal party structures.
Rawlings deceived?
According to our sources, while Mr Mahama visited party founder Jerry John Rawlings to, supposedly, discuss the choice of a running mate, and to also get the pictures to create an impression of unity, the former President “blatantly deceived the party founder with the naming of the running mate.”
This move, our sources say, has infuriated some big wigs in the party who wonder how “insolent Mahama could deceive Papa J that way.”
According to our sources, Mr Mahama had told the NDC founder that he had three names in mind to be presented to the National Council of Elders and the National Executive Committee for a decision to be taken on one of them.
“However, upon the advice of the G7, Mr Mahama blatantly ignored the Council of Elders and approached the National Executive Committee with only the name of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang,” our sources said.
The G7, chaired by Kofi Totobi-Quarkyi, with Stan Dogbe, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Valerie Sawyerr, John Jinapor and Edward Omane-Boamah as members, and Lordina Mahama as special advisor, were reported to have influenced the choice of Prof Opoku-Agyemang.
Lordina’s fear
The choice of the former Minister of Education was said to have been virtually ‘forced’ on Mr Mahama by his wife, Lordina Mahama.
Lordina was reported to have vehemently opposed the idea of selecting Dr Kwabena Dufuor, former Finance Minister, who was said to be the choice of the party’s founder, former President Rawlings, and the Council of Elders.
“Lordina’s opposition was based on the fear that the wife of Dr Dufour, who is well-educated and well-cultured, will be upstaging her all the time like the way Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur used to do, should she become the Second Lady again,” our source said.
“Apparently, Lordina Mahama is very much aware of her gross inadequacies, as she was never able to stand the deep confidence of Matilda Amissah-Arthur, and so does not want another dose of that medicine,” the source added.
According to the source, “it was as late as Sunday evening that Dr Kwabena Dufuor was told that he was not going to become the running mate, but he was not told that one of the main reasons for ditching him is because Lordina Mahama did not want to have the well-educated Dufuor and his equally educated wife dwarfing her and her husband in the unlikely event that the NDC wins the 2020 elections.”
“From all indications, John Mahama and his G7 are leading the NDC to another disastrous electoral defeat because if the angry sentiments of senior NDC members, as well as foot soldiers are anything to go by, then the NDC has another four years to spend in opposition and must obviously change its flagbearer prior to the 2024 elections in order to have any glimmer of hope as far as another electoral victory is concerned.
“John Mahama has come to destroy the NDC that President Rawlings built; and President Atta-Mills rebuilt; and he will certainly pay a high price for messing up our party,” our source concluded.
Source: Daily Statesman
