Former President John Dramani Mahama should not “dare” contest the 2020 flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if he does not come clear on exactly what he has taken responsibility for, with regards to the party’s defeat in the last presidential elections, a youth group of the party, Action Movement, has said.

Mr Mahama, after the NDC’s 2016 electoral loss, asked supporters of the party to blame him for its defeat. “The cause of our loss is multifaceted,” he told his former appointees at a meeting on 28 March, adding that those going on air to blame fellow party members and specific members of his administration for the defeat must redirect those accusations at him since he led the party into the elections.

“Of course, as the General who led us into battle, I take ultimate responsibility for our losing the election, and so if it will satisfy those people, blame me for the loss.”

But speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, 15 May, the spokesperson for the group, Kodzo Hamenya Keglo, accused Mr Mahama of hurting the party.

He said: “JM’s ‘dead goat syndrome’ during 2012 to 2016 is still there and it’s obvious that JM loves his cronies than the grassroots and is still behaving like a dead goat. If JM is still defending his appointees who hurt our grassroots badly, then JM has no pity for the grassroots.

“JM should do what is honourable. He is causing our party great harm by just saying that he has taken responsibility for our loss. JM should stop the silent torture on our electorate and say exactly what he has taken responsibility for.

“Who has failed him? Who did not do his/her work well? Where should money go and did not go? Which of his appointees failed him? Why were the women organisers not resourced? Why did JM not call Valerie Sawyer to order when he heard that she was campaigning against the NDC candidate in Klottey Korle? Whose idea was it to rather resource friends and ladies for Mahama to the detriment of our executives? These are the question we are asking.

“If JM does not come out immediately for what he has taken responsibility for, then it won’t be morally right for him to organise himself as a candidate for the party. JM must not dare 2020 if he doesn’t clear the air for what he has taken responsibility for.”