The retired Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Professor Joshua Alabi, is readying to launch a bid to contest the presidential primary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), 3news.com has gathered.

High-placed sources told 3news.com that the former NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor Constituency has the support of some bigwigs in the opposition party to be its flagbearer in 2020.

The former Greater Accra Region Minister left the political limelight in 2001, when he lost his seat but wants to return to lead the party in the 2020 presidential polls.

NDC lost the 2016 elections, having won the previous two in 2008 and 2012 with late Prof JEA Mills and John Dramani Mahama respectively.

After losing his seat in 2001, Prof Alabi was elected Greater Accra Region Chairman of the NDC. But he later veered into academics, where he has carved a sterling niche for himself, at the helm of the transformation of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). He is UPSA’s first Vice Chancellor, having served as Rector for many years.

He was named Africa Vice Chancellor of the Year in 2013 by the All-Africa Students Union. Prof Alabi was in 2016 awarded ‘Officer of the Order of the Volta’ by then president John Dramani Mahama.

His professional background in marketing is said to have been the Midas touch to the transformation at UPSA. Little wonder he was named Marketing Man of Year 2012 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG).

The launch – and announcement – of Prof Alabi’s return to active politics is expected to be at the end of 2017. He was born on March 1, 1958.