Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, an outspoken Executive Member of the Tema East Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has attributed the defeat of Alban Bagbin in the just-ended polls to lack of time.

He said although the second Deputy Speaker was popular and carried a great message to the grassroots, lack of time to travel throughout the length and breadth of the country misplaced him to the third position.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, said out of the six Flagbearer aspirants, the only person who did not touch base with Branch executives of the party was Mr Bagbin.

“Because of his Parliamentary engagements, Mr Bagbin could not go around to meet Branch Executives, unlike Prof. Alabi, Mr. Mahama, Sylvester Mensah, Goosie Tanoh, Spio Gabrah and Alhaji Nurudeen. If in spite of this he came in a strong third, then it is very obvious that he could have won many more people over, if he had touched base at the branches,” Moshake said.

At the end of the NDC’s Presidential primary on Saturday, former President John Mahama, swept the votes to obtain a runaway victory of 95.23 per cent of total votes, Prof. Joshua Alabi placed second with 1.53 per cent of the votes , while Mr Alban Bagbin, came in third with 1.03 per cent of the total votes.

“JM’s victory is not surprising, what is surprising is how Bagbin did not share money and did not meet Branch Executives like the rest of the candidates did but came out as the third favorite of voters,” Moshake said.

He said of all of the Candidates, only Bagbin beat Mahama in at least one Constituency.

“Indeed, Mr Bagbin walloped the former President in his home Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency.

“Sylvester Mensah lost his home Constituency, La Dade Kotopon, to the former President; Prof. Alabi lost, Krowor to JM, Goosie Tanoh, Spio Gabrah and all the other Candidates lost their home constituencies to JM except Bagbin, who beat the former President in Nadowli-Kaleo,” Moshake pointed out.

He said the development was an indication that Mr Bagbin could have done better, if he had gone into the race with better spending power, and if he had made time to touch on all bases.

“But it is also good that we have things this way; clearly, the future is very bright for Mr Bagbin and after 2020, 2024 will definitely be his turn,” Moshake added.