Ghana’s largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), opened its nationwide polls here on Saturday to select one of seven candidates seeking to lead the party into general elections next year.
The election being held in all 275 constituencies across the country has been postponed twice due to legal and technical challenges.
Although ex-president John Dramani Mahama appears to be the clear front runner, he faces stiff competition from former Minister for Trade and Industry Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and a former rector of University of Professional Studies Accra Joshua Alabi.
Opinions are divided within the former ruling party over the suitability of Mahama, since even if he wins the presidential polls next year, he can only lead the country for a single four year term as the Constitution provides two four year terms for every president.
However others believe Mahama’s record as president stands tall and will be easily marketable in the polls next year.
Rather than holding a single national delegates congress to elect the presidential hopeful as has hitherto been the case, the party rather chose to decentralise the polls and allow each constituency to hold its election on the same day.
There are about 260,000 delegates expected to cast their ballots nationwide.
