Member of Parliament for Nadowli/Kaleo constituency, Alban Bagbin, believes former president John Mahama could have easily won the 2016 election if he and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had listened to his advice.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Bagbin explained that, all the advice he gave to the former president and the National Democratic Congress were ignored.
“…I think the election defeat is a useful lesson that we have learned as a party and many of the elders and senior members of the party have come to me to say that if they had listened to my early signals about the way things were going, we might not have been in opposition.”
Mr. Bagbin, who publicly criticized Mr. Mahama said he has been vindicated because “they saw belatedly that what I did was for the benefit of all, not just me.”
The MP once again underscored his presidential ambitions, but was not straightforward with a response on whether or not he would contest the 2020 flagbearership of the NDC.
“As for presidential ambitions, that is as clear as daylight. It is very clear to everybody who is watching the political arena that honorable Bagbin has presidential ambitions. Together with the NDC, we will take the decision as to who will lead us in 2020.”
Mr. Bagbin said he stood tall amongst the names being linked to the NDC flagbearship in 2020 “and there is none of them, those who have come out so far, who doesn’t admire my leadership because I have led all of them in politics.”
“…If honorable John Dramani Mahama passed through my hands and he was a vice or he was President, how can he or any other person say the person who mentored and trained him is not qualified to be president?” the MP quizzed further.
Among the names making rounds as possible flagbearers are former Rector of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), Joshua Alabi, former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho and former National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) CEO, Sylvester Mensah.
Mr. Bagbin himself announced his intentions to run for president on the NDC ticket in 2008, but he never stood for the primaries.
