Friday, November 5, 2010

Vice President, John Dramani Mahama has for the first time spoken on his immediate political future and stated categorically that he will never contest President Mills

The Vice President, John Dramani Mahama has for the first time spoken on his immediate political future and stated categorically that he will never contest President Mills for the 2012 presidential slot of the NDC.

Speaking exclusively on Radio Ghana’s Behind the News program on Thursday, November 4, Mr Mahama indicated that he will support President Mills to excel in his first term in office so he can win convincingly a second term.

Speaking on a wide range of issues, the Vice President also answered questions on the economy and the recent allegations that he helped in lifting the ban imposed on one of the world’s richest cocoa buyers, Armajaro, a British firm after the company was banned from operating in Ghana when it was implicated in Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ cocoa smuggling investigative piece.


“For now my commitment is to work with President Mills and ensure that he has a successful Presidency. Professor Mills has indicated that he wants to run for a second term and so I want to support him to make a success of the first term and be able to have a second term in office…the constitution says he is entitled to two terms in office so if the man says I will utilize my second term, there is nothing wrong with that, of course he has to go the party for endorsement which I am sure the party would endorse him and if he goes for a second term he would win”.

  “Let me say this very emphatically that I will not contest President Mills for the Presidency…at whatever time that President Mills stands for the Presidency I would never run against him”.  

Mr Mahama added that managing former President Rawlings is a challenge to the party, as some of his open criticisms on the Atta Mills led Government are too stinging and generalized.

He said the party must find ways and means of addressing Mr Rawlings’ concerns as his comments do not augur well for the party. 

“It gives the impression of a party that is not united and solid and often that can affect your chances electorally. So it is an issue that the party needs to confront and deal with. He has some grievances and if I pick some of the issues that he normally raises, one is about justice, you can’t just pick people and put them in jail, you need to go through a process to prove their guilt”. 

The Vice President also assured that his government’s Better Ghana Agenda is on course.





Source Citifmonine