The Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Rashid Tanko, has questioned the Ghanaian electorate’s willingness to retain a leader associated with economic challenges, drawing instances with recent developments in the United States.
In an interview with JoyNews on Wednesday, Dr. Tanko reflected on America’s decision to re-elect a former president amid economic concerns, suggesting a similar outcome might be expected in Ghana.
“The Americans have decided to go back and take what they lost,” Dr. Tanko remarked. “A president who was on the path of delivering them, and they decided to push him out. They have gone back to pick a former president whom they think has the magic wand as of now to alleviate the over and huge difficulty the American people are going through. The election was won based on the economy. The economic doldrums in America was too much.”
Drawing a comparison to Ghana’s economic condition, Dr. Tanko argued that Ghanaians might reject a candidate associated with the current administration’s economic challenges.
“It is just like what we are going through here in Ghana. Nobody needs to tell you our economic condition is worse. You expect a sitting Vice President who is part and parcel of the mess of the economy to continue in government?” he questioned. “America rejected a driver’s mate. Do you think Ghanaians will maintain a driver’s mate? What will stop us from bringing JDM?” he added, referring to former President John Dramani Mahama.
The statements come as former U.S. President Donald Trump edges closer to an unprecedented political comeback. Trump, having declared victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election, told supporters in Florida that they were on the verge of “a new golden age for America.”
“Needing only one more state to secure the required 270 electoral college votes, Trump appears poised to return to the White House, marking the first such return for a former president in over 130 years. CBS projections indicate his party is also on track to gain control of the Senate.
Speaking to a crowd in West Palm Beach, Trump said, “This will truly be the golden age of America — that’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again.”
Already, social media users are speculating that Trump’s potential return to office could bode well for a win for former President Mahama in Ghana.