A member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for running again as president despite his defeat in 2016.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko said John Mahama has done a “great disservice” to the party for not stepping aside and grooming someone else.

He told host OB on Asempa FM’s Ekosii sen Friday, that the decision by the former President Mahama to run again creates the impression that NDC does not have other qualified Presidential candidates.

“When he was voted out of power in 2016 when the state of affairs was almost on its knees, he could have done better service to the NDC by helping to groom a successor.

“Because right now, imagine he loses the election, (which is easy to imagine), in December 2020. In 2024, by then Akufo-Addo would have completed his eight years term, so there will be a new candidate for NPP but who will the NDC have groomed someone by then?”

The former director of the Danquah Institute added that the opposition’s inability to select a new candidate other than Mr Mahama will affect the party fortunes since it takes time to ‘market and sell’ a personality in the country.

“I think it is like the NPP boycotting the 1992 elections, it delayed whatever opportunities we had for at least four more years. So maybe the NDC boycotting the opportunity to get a new candidate to then sell the candidate because sometimes it takes a while to sell the candidate, I am looking at the history of the fourth republic.”

Commenting on the Mahama administration, the NPP supporter stressed the former President did a poor job managing the economy.

He noted that, Mr Mahama does not understand how to run the economy, thus, should he be voted into power again, the country will be in a regrettable state by the end of his tenure.

“The situation and crisis that we are in now requires serious thinking so with all this issues that the government is managing and you vote for the person who was unable to do it during his eight years as Vice and President of the country then [we will be wrong].”