Much as he appreciates the role played by former President Mahama in elevating the image of the party and under whose administration he served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), "his time is short and he can only run for just a term even if he wins the race."

"I think I have the strides to travel the long haul and better positioned to add to the achievement of the party honed by the first President of the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings," he told Daily Graphic yesterday.

Mr Bonsu, a businessman and a former football administrator, is in the race together with his former boss, Mr Mahama, and a former Minister of Finance and one time Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Kwabena Duffuor.

The three are those who are expected to face-off in what is expected to be a fierce internal battle later in the year for the single slot.

But Mr Bonsu, also a former Adidas representative in Ghana, said he was better placed to rally the youth to unseat the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and change the fortunes of the Ghanaian economy and give hope to citizens.

"This country has been poorly managed in the last six years. Everything appears to be falling apart and I'm convinced that with my experience and international networking, I'm better placed to turn things around.

"This is the time for fresh blood and fresh ideas. These two, I have them and I will deliver on my mandate if given the opportunity," he told Daily Graphic.

Mr Bonsu applauded his two contenders, Mr Mahama and Dr Duffuor, for the clean campaign so far and their exhibition of maturity, saying: “this indeed is a new phase of political campaigning in Ghana and the NDC needs to be applauded for that."

Background

The NDC last month announced the timetable for the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries and it is set to open nominations for aspirants from Wednesday, February 22 to Friday, February 24, 2023 with the conduct of the two elections on May 13, 2023 to elect a presidential and parliamentary candidates to contest on the ticket of the party for the 2024 general election.