A statement issued and signed by the Regional Youth Organiser, Mathias Alagbo, said while all qualified party faithful had the constitutional right to contest, consensus building and compromises to rally around a winnable candidate better served the larger interest of the party.

“It is our considered view that there is absolutely no need for flag bearer election but instead, the NDC should endorse John Dramani Mahama(JDM) through the necessary consultative process as the flag bearer of the NDC for the 2024 Presidential election,” it said.

The statement explained that Mr Mahama needed to run unopposed because citizens were looking for a tried and tested candidate with the requisite experience and capacity to lead and reverse the socioeconomic hardships that the current administration had plunged the country into.

Spare scarce resources

“President John Mahama without a doubt is the most experienced hand in Ghana today who has once led our country through difficult times and build solid economic foundations that everyone can attests to, so the other aspirants can be brought on board to play other major roles,” it explained.

The forum believed that meagre resources to be expended on Presidential primary should be reserved to support the rebuilding efforts of the party’s internal structures so as to give it a better fighting chance in the upcoming general election.

The statement explained that the party had to even rely largely on the former President to raise funds for the recently held National Youth and Women conference and the 10th NDC National Delegates Congress which brought a lot of financial stress on the party.

It further explained that instead of raising additional resources in these difficult economic times to transport about 347,598 branch executives from 38,622 polling stations or branches to our various constituency capitals to elect a flag bearer, as well as the huge accumulated cost of engaging the National Electoral Commission, such resources instead could be channeled to strengthen branches and prepare the party machinery for its victory 2024 project.

“Endorsing President Mahama through a popular acclamation process will ,therefore, free up millions of Ghana Cedis for the party to utilise,” the statement said.

Victory

The statement said anything short of absolute victory for the NDC in the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections would have a debilitating effect on the party and place the future of the country in jeopardy.

In light of all that, the forum called on the party’s leadership, the National Council of Elders and all interested parties in the upcoming presidential primaries to use negotiations to arrive at a consensus and unanimously endorse Mr Mahama as the flag bearer.

“In the likely event that our pleas are not heeded to and His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is made to go through a primaries contest, we shall take the responsibility to mobilise the rank and file of our NDC delegates within and outside Volta to ensure JDM receives a resounding victory when the elections are called,” the statement added.