On this day, the 42nd anniversary of the 31 December Revolution, I had the opportunity to write that Comrade Chairman and former President Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership qualities have been passed down to John Mahama by history. This is especially true given the current state of Ghana’s messy political and economic history, and President Rawlings’ legacy as the leader of the NDC.
In my anniversary wishes, I asked the one inheriting that noble tradition to resurrect the principles of the 31 December Revolution, the cause for which Comrade Rawlings and other brave allies gave their lives. I emphasized that a culture and tradition survive because of its past and its experiences.
For this reason, the NDC is dependent on the numerous active revolutionaries who it never forgets to include in its ranks, notwithstanding their advanced age. Transparency and accountability have been the defining characteristics of that legacy. According to that tradition, voters are collaborators in the advancement of the country, not just a resource to be used and then abandoned following each election.
Thanking NDC supporters for their unwavering commitment and steadfast loyalty, and asking them to work together to start Ghana’s journey towards a better future, but presenting them with an opaque running mate is not transparent or accountable to those supporters or the voters in the 2024 elections.
Despite any objections or perceived violations of their respective party constitutions and Article 55 of the 1992 Constitution during the process of electing them by their political parties, John Dramani Mahama of the NDC and Bawumia of the NPP are the duly elected presidential candidates, whether anyone likes it or not.
I believe that after winning their respective political parties’ primary elections, they should be free to choose a running mate based on tactical and strategic factors that will help them both win the presidency on December 7, 2024, and bring a larger portion of the electorate with them.
Some party bureaucrats oppose their running mates; therefore, it will be too detrimental to their respective political parties if any of them pull out at this point. If the presidential contenders are their own individuals and not proxies for political elite power brokers, then everyone should be able to see through their disguise with Councils of Elders and NECs in the selection of a running mate by now.