Former President John Dramani Mahama launched his bid for the presidency in Tamale last Saturday with a call on Ghanaians to vote out the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

He said the country had been run down, and change was now non-negotiable if Ghanaians wanted to create a sustainable society that would create equal opportunities for all.
"Change needs Ghana because the Afrobarometer survey showed that 80 per cent of Ghanaians think the country is going in the wrong direction," he said to shouts from thousands of enthusiastic supporters.

In line with that, Mr Mahama asked the party’s supporters to stay awake for 48 hours after voting to protect their votes.  

Rally behind NDC

While addressing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithful and sympathisers, he called on all Ghanaians to rally behind the party to rescue the country from the "shackles" of the NPP.

Mr Mahama said the time had come for Ghanaians to reclaim their future and restore dignity in the nation as the NPP had failed to meet the needs of the people.

He accused the current administration of failing to address pressing challenges and mismanaging public resources, stating that indicators and statistics showed that all was not well with the country but they were forcing the public to believe everything was in order.

Transformative agenda

The former President outlined the party's vision for a transformative agenda, promising to tackle critical issues such as corruption and unemployment bedevilling the country.

He said he would be very transparent at all times and work very hard to turn the fortunes of the country around if elected to lead the country in the upcoming general election. "The decision we will make on December 7 will reflect on the future of the country. I will be truthful to you. I will never tell you lies to win elections. I will work very hard to reset the fortunes of the country," he said.

Mr Mahama said the problems that were created by the NPP government would need a new set of hands to solve them, not the same people who caused them.

"We need more experienced hands to rescue us from the mess caused by the NPP. It won't be easy because the problems I am seeing are more than what the government is telling us," the NDC flag bearer said.

While urging the rank and file of the NDC to be vigilant and protect the ballots during the election, he called on all to join the campaign trail and market the vision and policies to the electorate.

National duty

For his part, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, asked all to view the upcoming elections as a call to national duty because the future of the country revolved around it.

He, therefore, called on citizens to support the vision of the NDC for a more equitable and transparent government.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, highlighted what he described as the NPP's failures, including issues related to economic mismanagement, corruption and social inequality.

He described the upcoming election as a critical opportunity for voters to demand accountability and change.