They hail from Bole in the Savannah region and Kumawu in the Ashanti region of Ghana respectively. Former President John Mahama has tasted the presidency before whereas Dr. Kwabena Duffour climbed to the position of Finance and Economic Planning Minister, both in the Atta Mills-led government between 2009 and 2012.
The constitutional heir-apparent Mahama, then the Vice-President assumed the substantive position upon the sudden death of President Mills but Dr. Duffour missed out on appointments in the Mahama presidency. He elevated Duffour’s deputy Seth Terkper five months later and Duffour settled down to private business where he had also cut his teeth.
Unfortunately, Mahama lost the 2016 elections with Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur as his Vice-president. He narrowly lost again in his return bid in 2020. For 2024, he faces a monstrous challenge as Duffour threw his hat in the ring in the battle for NDC’s flagbearer slot. The other candidate is Kojo Bonsu, a former Mayor of Ghana’s largest city, Kumasi. He was a Mahama appointee.
The two leading candidates have well-lubricated machines and none bears down with an advantage over the other when it comes to spending power. Mahama, who many in his party claim to have the largesse for the furthest outreaches in the campaign, is stunned by the financial clout of Duffour who is also conducting a colorful campaign with the blend of technology and the unorthodox.
The former President’s war armada includes most of his appointees in the government that he led. Duffour has got some tailwind from some renegades and the old order of the National Democratic Congress. He was appointed the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana in the Rawlings administration in 1995, two years later becoming the substantive. His linear growth had deep tap roots in the long era of Rawlings. Mahama came into the spotlight when the NDC scouted him to contest the Bole-Bamboi parliamentary seat in 1996. The search party had the authority of President Jerry Rawlings, and Dr. Obed Asamoah with the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings involved.
When Mahama agreed to their propositions, he moved from the Japanese Embassy in Accra and was made the Deputy Communications Minister. After two failed bids at the presidency by Atta Mills, and consistent with the quest for regional balance for the NDC ticket, Mahama became his third pick as running mate as he kept probing for the state’s top job.
Analysts say uncertainties have begun to waft over the internal race as Mahama re-echoed earlier promises made by Duffour. These are jobs for the party’s operatives and supporters and then a decision to place an effective election collation system for the party when it comes to the general elections. Mahama for the first time issued a political jab, albeit a friendly fire at Duffour, saying he is the best among the candidates and the most capable of unseating the governing New Patriotic Party.
Duffour has also said, the NDC needs a fresh page and this is in cadence with the public’s will. In terms of which of the candidates will be able to coast to victory in the 2024 general elections at the expense of the sitting government, these are what some analysts conjecture.
Duffour comes from the largest voting bloc, the Ashanti region the stronghold of the New Patriotic Party, by and large, the party’s spine in every election in Ghana. The permutations are that a Duffour candidacy could cause some upsets in the numbers and that means a vital addition to NDC’s votes. In the dire straits Ghana finds itself, especially in the economy, Duffour who is an economist presents himself as the Midas touch to reverse the trend and restore the country to buoyancy. He was Finance Minister when Ghana recorded the fastest growth rate in the world. 15 to 16 percent growth rate by 2011.
Mahama on the other hand, has the records to draw the most direct or blow-by-blow comparison with the New Patriotic Party within the context of panoramic governance. His supporters say, all the indicators point to a better record under his watch which intensifies public call for his return to the presidency.
Whatever the case may be, the presence of Duffour in the race has exerted a heavy toll on Mahama who still have the edge to win, unless the delegates pull the ”Sir John Trigger”. Sir John who died in 2020 was a former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party. He lost his position in the party’s primaries whereupon he voiced thus, ”fear delegates”.
Both Mahama and Duffour have an axe to grind with the governing party. Mahama lost his presidency to them and Duffour lost his Unibank in a liquidation drive. The tight race has prompted the Professionals Forum of the NDC to conduct a survey to determine possible outcomes. The decision day of the race is 13 May 2023.