2020: We Never Said Mahama Be Replaced – Botchwey Committee

Chairman of the 13-member committee tasked to investigate what led to the defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the 2016 polls, Prof Kwesi Botchwey, has refuted earlier reports that the committee recommended that former President John Dramani Mahama be replaced as flag bearer for the 2020 elections since he lost the 2016 polls as a result of his association with corruption while his arch-rival, Nana Akufo-Addo, of the New Patriotic Party was seen as incorruptible by the electorate.

According to Prof Botchwey, who presented the 455-page report to the leadership of the party on Monday, June 19, the committee made no recommendation about who leads the party into the 202 elections.

“It was not part of our mandate as a committee to recommend who should or should not stand as the party’s candidate in 2020, so, we didn’t recommend any such thing; not for former President Mahama or anybody else. It simply was not part of our mandate,” he told Class FM.

The committee was tasked, among other things, to make recommendations for the restructuring and reorganisation of the party to position it for Election 2020.