Rawlings: I did not campaign against Mahama

Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings says an impression that he at a recent meeting confessed to not campaigning for President John Mahama in 2012 was twisted.

The former President in statement Sunday said that it is public knowledge that he did not campaign for President Mahama during the 2012 elections, but he also did not campaign against him.

Media reports last week suggested the former president had boycotted the elections campaign of the party he founded.

However, explaining the circumstances under which the 2012 election campaign was prosecuted, President Rawlings said the National Democratic Congress would have lost the polls terribly “had God not called” then president, Professor J.E.A. Mills.

“Mahama won on his own merit and let’s recall that there was an air of desperation and near panic when the Prof passed. This situation worked in Mahama’s favour and he literally campaigned alone. Eighty per cent of the national executives couldn’t campaign without following him. That’s how much credibility they had lost,” he said.

Caution for 2016
Rawlings said while President Mahama “did most of the work by himself” in the 2012 elections, the leadership of the NDC must now take steps to re-invigorate and re-energise the party machinery ahead of the 2016 elections or the polls may not favour the party.

Explaining the call, he said, “This time round almost everyone’s political credibility has suffered terribly, including Mahama and that’s why I was saying that the new hope will now come from a re-invigorated and re-energised party machinery.”

“So far the poor performance and corrupt characters are taking advantage of the support bases’ fear of the opposition to embolden themselves in perpetuating themselves and their crass behaviour. They have grown insensitive and do not seem to give a damn because they know the vulnerable and insecure electorate will continue to support the NDC because they are nervous of an opposition take over,” he said.