Governance and policy analyst Kofi B. Kukubor has condemned leading figures within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who have publicly declared support for certain individuals to be presidential candidates of the party few months after their defeat in the 2016 elections.

The National Organiser of the opposition NDC, Kofi Adams, is quoted to have said on Citi FM: “[Former] President Mahama, in today’s NDC, is the best material that we have.”

This was in response to questions posed to him about who the party’s next candidate would be for the next election.

His response comes before the 13-member committee led by Prof Kwesi Botchwey, tasked by the NDC to investigate the cause of the party’s defeat in the December 7 polls, presents its report.

Mr Kukubor, a member of the NDC, who was a guest on Citi FM’s The Big Issues on Saturday, March 25, said: “It was irresponsible, statements by some party executives on air to declare and endorse a particular candidate for 2020, which is a complete violation of our party constitution.”

He explained that the NDC was not “yet there for the nomination of presidential candidates and that the party constitution states that when we are in opposition, two years to election we open nominations”, adding: “When we are in power, then 12 months to election we open nominations for presidential candidates.

“Once you are a party executive, you do not have the right to declare support or endorse any particular candidate and it is unfortunate that we are experiencing that.”

Mr Kukubor indicated that no one has declared his intention to contest, which will even be too early, so it is very “worrying for a national executive to come on air to say that a particular candidate is the best”.

To him, such conduct does not augur well for the impartiality of the party’s leadership.

“You are throwing the credibility and the neutrality of the executive into disrepute,” he added.