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After his surprise victory in the just-ended flag bearership race of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Kobena Greenstreet’s hopes of springing another surprise in the upcoming presidential elections in November, this year, have been shot down by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NDC says it does not see Greenstreet making any impact in the pending 2016 elections, adding it is not likely for the new flag bearer of the CPP to push the general elections into a second round contrary to suggestions made by pundits that he will force the elections to a run-off.

Mr. Mahdi Muhammed Gibrill, Deputy National organizer of the NDC, in an interview with the Enquirer yesterday, said the party does not see Mr. Greenstreet flying in the 2016 elections and making impact that will warrant a run-off.

“We believe that he will bring some excitements into their race but we don’t see him making any impact, we think that we are going to have a very good election and go ahead to win the elections one touch,” he said.

Greenstreet made history last Saturday by being the first physically challenged person to become a flagbearer of a political party in the country, when he shrugged off stiff opposition from the favorite, Samia Nkurmah, daughter of Ghana’s first president, to emerge victorious.

The CPP flagbearer, who is the former General Secretary of the party, polled 1,288 representing 64.21 per cent of the 2,006 valid votes cast.

Many political watchers, including popular pollster, Ben Ephson, has predicted that Greenstreet may force the elections to a second round, considering the manner he shocked Samia Nkrumah.

But Mahdi disagrees, saying Greenstreet’s victory does not reflect the will of the majority of Ghanaians and that, the NDC will retain power.

He said in any case he will rather make the race easy for the NDC, since he will split the votes of the opposition parties making it simple for the governing party to win convincingly.

“We welcome him the fray but we don’t see him winning the election,” he stated, adding projections made by people that he will force the elections into a second round are not feasible. We are not prepared for a second round; we don’t see him flying in the 2016 elections.

Touching on strategies put in place by the NDC to retain power, Mahdi said the achievements of the governing party are there for all who want to see.

He said the NDC has done creditably well in all sectors of the economy and it will be judged on its own merits.

“It will be suicidal for me to tell you my strategies in the 2016 elections, I will not tell you but I’m working, to help John Dramani Mahama to retain power,” he maintained.

Mahdi further said, “I can assure you that the kind of work we are doing both party and government, is towards winning 2016 elections, and Insha Allah, we are winning one touch.

He explained that the good works of the Mahama administration specially tackling corruption and the energy crisis are clear manifestation that he is on course.

“For the last two months the promise that eh president gave that by December he will fix the energy challenge, he has fixed it, when you come to issues of corruption, no other government has been in power that has led the fight against corruption like John Dramani Mahama’s,” he stated.