Former President John Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the economy and unemployment are the major issues of concern to electorates in the 2024 general election.

He said the high unemployment rate of over 14 per cent and economic hardship with high inflation and exchange rates, were enough evidence that the New Patriotic Party (NPP)-led government had failed Ghanaians within its eight years in office.

The former President, however, said Ghanaians’ experience during the eight years of the NDC in opposition was enough lesson for them to make a discerning decision in December 2024 by voting the NDC to power.

“Any experience you go through takes you to another level in terms of learning, so, these eight years have not been wasted. They’ve been a useful experience for the people of Ghana”, Mr Mahama stated.

The former President said this at Wechiau in the Wa West District when he addressed scores of people including traditional leaders and party faithful as part of his three-day campaign tour of the region from Saturday, October 12 to Monday, October 14, 2024.

The first day of the tour saw former President Mahama and his campaign team visit the Wa West, Wa Municipal, Wa East, Daffiama-Bussie-Issa and Nadowli-Kaleo Districts to interact and share his campaign message with the electorates to win their hearts for the upcoming election.

Mr Mahama said despite the developmental interventions and initiatives of the NDC-led government from 2009 to 2016, the enticing messages of the NPP won the hearts of the electorates during the 2016 general election.

He, nonetheless, observed that the NPP failed to meet the expectations of Ghanaians with those “enticing” promises hence the need for the electorates to vote out that party in the 2024 general election.

Mr Mahama said Ghanaians would not be swayed by another enticing promise during the upcoming elections since any decision they made now would determine the future of the youth.

“In elections, we are required to make choices about leadership, about who will be our president, about who will be our member of parliament.

“You make the right choice, it leads to success, it leads to a better life, it leads to development, it leads to improvement. You make a wrong choice, it leads to pain, it leads to hardship, it leads to suffering.

In 2016, we made the wrong choice because people came and said a lot of sweet things to us. …pray that God gives you the sense of discernment to make the right choice”, Mr Mahama indicated.

The former President appealed to Ghanaians to give him and the NDC the opportunity during the upcoming poll to “rescue” and “reset” the country’s development trajectory.

Superintendent (Rtd) Peter Lanchene Toobu, the Wa West Member of Parliament, assured the people of his constituency that if they voted for him and Mr Mahama to win the election the constituency would get its share of development in the areas of roads and employment among others.