Nii Lante Vanderpuye said Mahama is now very close to Elders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were previously “sidelined” under his administration.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodio constituency Nii Lante Vanderpuye says former president John Mahama is a changed person who has now adopted the habit of listening.
According to him, the ex-president is now very close to Elders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were previously “sidelined” under his administration.
READ ALSO: NDC Primaries: Mahama coming to rescue Ghanaians- Sam George
Many party faithfuls have attributed the NDC’s loss at the 2016 elections to Mahama’s reluctance to deal with the old guard in the party.
This was corroborated by the Kwesi Botchway report which delved into matters which accounted for the party’s loss in the last elections.
Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi FM, Nii Lante noted that Mahama is now a changed man and has shown signs of taking the Kwesi Botchway report more seriously.'
“There are some of the things that we captured under the Kwesi Botchwey committee that were outside the realm pertaining to his Presidency, his personality, what people were saying of him, why people voted against him and those ones were related to him so we handed it over to him,” the former Sports Minister said.
“I can assure you that before he took this decision [to contest for President], there has been very wide consultation with… some of these perceived elders who were sidelined, pushed back and all that.”
He added: “He has been advised on certain things to do and as a human being, as humble and respectful as he is, he has listened to the elders, he has taken steps to make sure, that if those things are what led to that humiliating defeat, he is ready [to change].”
READ ALSO: 2020 Polls: Five things pushing Mahama to run for president again
Mahama last week officially declared his intention of contesting the 2020 elections, stating: “I have listened with deep respect to the elders of our party, to members of our party and Ghanaians from all walks of life, and I am honoured to avail myself for truthful, transparent, selfless, unifying and dedicated service to the National Democratic Congress, and above all to the good people of Ghana.”
His declaration came a day after he met NDC founder Jerry John Rawlings to seek his blessings.