The great NDC went into the 2016 elections with high hopes of winning both the presidential and parliamentary elections. Unfortunately, there was a heavy downpour on the NDC, forcing it to accept the results and packing out of office on 7th January, 2017.

The NDC, in a bid to understand what led to their defeat in 2016, commissioned Prof. Kwesi Botchwey and 12 other eminent persons to find out why the NDC lost the elections. Kwesi Botchwey is a renowned lawyer, economist, governance expert and the longest Finance Minister in Ghana. Surely he has the timber and caliber to lead the committee of eminent persons.

Aside Kwesi Botchwey as Chairman, the Committee comprised Former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, Naval Capt. Asase Gyimah, William Ahadzi, Ibrahim Zuberu, Razak Abu, Juliana Azumah Mensah, Barbarah Serwah Asamoah, Former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and three(3) other members from NDC parliamentary caucus.

The Committee report was presented to the party in June, 2017 but it decided to keep the report to its chest so that Ghanaians will not have the opportunity to know the details. Only the recommendations were made public and are reproduced as follows; 1. That the party puts together a group of credible and eminent members of our party to undertake a peacebuilding and healing of the country. 2. That the party takes steps to restore the integrity of the biometric register and the expanded electoral college 3. We recommend that steps be taken to restore the capacity and effectiveness of the party's organs especially at the branch level where we believe these organs are the most critical because they are the party's immediate connection to the people, we are afterall a truly mass party. 4. We also have recommendations on ways we can and must improve the collation of election results. 5. We also believe that steps ought to be taken by the party to reconnect itself properly to our social democratic roots and the principal actors in these social democratic roots. 6. We recommend that steps ought to be taken to strengthen research and intelligence in the party. This should involve crowding in a larger body of the party's intellectual base which has not been particularly active in the past, this will help to support the party's research capacity. 7. There are recommendations that the party will scale-up and re-invigorate its work in the area of youth organisation. 8. The organisation of women, we note that significant changes have taken place in the country's demographic profile and that the party ought to take notice of this and all the implications of these changes.

Going through the recommendations will give any intellectual a fair idea of what the report contains. There was the need for peace building because the way the party’s primaries were conducted was not healthy. People who were not members of the party got the opportunity to decide who will lead the party into the 2016 elections. The primaries was disorganized with some party members deliberately denied the opportunity to decide who they want to represent them on the ballot.

The recommendations afforded the party the opportunity to fast track the healing process and put its eyes at the branches strengthening and supporting them to deliver an effective campaign. The results is here and we are all happy.

Again, the youth and women wings were given special attention. The nomination of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang and the launching of both youth and women manifestos were historic. For the first time in Ghana's history, a woman will occupy the high office of a Vice President. The youth were also promised a seperate ministry and several assurances were given to them that they will have a significant say in the next Mahama government.

Mention must also be made of the emergence of the NDC Professionals Forum (ProForum) bringing together professionals from various backgrounds in accounting, law, teaching, engineering, computing among others to advance the course of the great NDC. The NDC ProForum volunteered in conducting research and providing professional advice to the party so that things can be put right.

We also improved significantly in the collation of the 2024 election results forcing the NPP Candidate to concede even before the Electoral Commission could start collation. The ProForum was again helpful and the NDC must be forever appreciative.

Prof. Kwesi Botchwey have gone to meet his maker but he celebrates in death. As we celebrate this historic 1.67 million gap in votes, he and his team’s contribution must be mentioned. He and the Great 12 contributed significantly to this success and all party folks are encouraged to emulate.