Former president John Mahama is encouraging trust and unity among the rank and file of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), going into the 2020 elections.

Addressing party leaders and supporters at the Headquarters shortly after he was declared the winner of the flagbearer contest, Mr. Mahama also told members of the opposition party to shun the seeds of disaffection being sown by their political opponents.

“Let us be one, let us trust each other and let us not believe the stories that we circulated that one is trying to undermine the other,” the former president now flagbearer of the NDC told an enthusiastic gathering in the wee hours of Sunday, February 24.

John Mahama pulled off a decisive victory by polling 95.24% of votes cast leaving six others to squabble over less than 5% in a poll that involved about 300,000 NDC voters.

His obscure and distant challenger Prof. Joshua Alabi managed only 3,399 representing 1.516% of votes cast while the man said to have mentored Mahama in politics, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin placed third with 2,313 (1.032%).

NDC return, Goosie Tanoh, finally got a shot at his most cherished political ambition but polled 2,038 votes (0.909%) to place fourth.

Ekwow Spio-Gabrah placed fifth with 1457 votes (0.650%), Sylvester Mensah managed 932 votes (0.415%) with Nurudeen Iddrisu securing 513 votes (0.231) to place sixth and seventh, respectively.

Read also: Mahama leads NDC into 2020 elections

Mr. Mahama, now the official leader of the opposition party, dedicated the victory to the entire NDC faithful pledging to work closely with them including the losing candidates, to ensure an emphatic victory in 2020 when they face the New Patriotic Party and the incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo.

“These results that we have heard announced today is dedicated to all of us, the members of the NDC…I will work closely with you and tirelessly with all of you so that our common objective of returning the party into power will be achieved,” he stated.