Former Transport Minister and cadre Mike Hammah has blamed the humiliating defeat suffered by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in last year’s presidential election on the former President, John Dramani Mahama.

The former president got his priorities wrong, according to his assessment. Mike Hammah said ex-president Mahama’s emphasis on infrastructure development to the detriment of the physiological needs of the masses, was the downfall of the NDC. He spoke on Onua FM’s Morning Show ‘Yen Nsem Pa’. The former Transport Minister told Bright Kwesi Asempa that although Mr. Mahama did his best in governing the country, that was not enough to convince the electorate to give him another term in office.

He noted that instead of the former president balancing the rapid infrastructure development of the country with the ‘immediate needs’ of the masses, he rather concentrated on “things that will benefit the masses in the long term”. “The president has gotten the priorities wrong; he placed too much priority on infrastructure to the neglect of the pressing needs of the people. He should have balanced it, and that caused our defeat.

I think he has done his best but not enough.” Asked why he could not advised the immediate past President after detecting these flaws, Mike Hammah stated that he and other likeminded members of the party did their best. Mike Hammah and some cadres of the NDC are calling on the current leadership of the party to as a matter of urgency, organize an early congress to restore hope among the grassroots and the entire party.

A statement, bearing names of leading members of the NDC like Benjamin Kunbuor, former Member of Parliament for Nandom; Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, former Eastern Regional ; and Mike Hammah, has called for early Congress to forestall what they described as fast creeping despondency among the grassroots which could be exploited by their opponents.

Mike Hamamah also said that their call for early congress is to end current agitations in the party, adding that although they are aware of Prof Kwesi Botcwey Committee, “Our call is to ensure there is calm in the party, knowing well that the report may take some time to come out and we need to restore hope among the grassroots. The NDC as you know is a grassroots party.”