In former President John Mahama’s “animal farm” administration, “monkeys worked while baboons ‘chopped’”, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said.

The flag bearer-hopeful of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) told a group of party communicators he met at his Job 600 office that: “That is why you had unknown people appearing from nowhere and getting top appointments while people like you [communicators] and other executives who had toiled for the party had been ignored.”

The veteran lawmaker’s comment was in response to queries by the mostly unemployed communicators about what was in it for them, should they support his bid to lead the party into the 2020 general elections since they were sidelined by Mr Mahama, whom they supported ahead of the 2012 polls.

According to the Nadowli/Kaleo MP, Mr Mahama elected to govern the way he did, to the detriment of true party members because he did not rise through the ranks as he (Bagbin) had.

“It is not for nothing that I have said I will make the party the fulcrum of my administration if I am elected flagbearer and eventually win to become the President. I know our people and respect their efforts”, the former Majority and Minority leader told the communicators.

Mr Bagbin will face competition from likely aspirants such as Mr Mahama, former Trade and Industry Minister Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Sylvester Mensah and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Prof Joshua Alabi.

The NDC will be electing a flag bearer in November 2018.