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National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Upper West Akyem in the Eastern Region, Derek Ohene Bekoe Asifo, is highly optimistic that the election of former President John Dramani Mahama as flagbearer will bring good fortunes to the opposition party.

Contributing to Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Hon. Ohene Bekoe Asifo believed the NDC, with Ex-President Mahama at the forefront, will match the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), come 2020.

" . . . Mr. Mahama will make campaign towards the 2020 general elections easier because Ghanaians have done the comparison by weighing the scale of performance between the Akufo-Addo government as against the erstwhile Mahama government. They now know their worth," he said.

262, 942 delegates had to decide between seven candidates during the NDC Primaries on Sunday, February 24, 2019 namely: Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumani K. Bagbin, businessman Alhaji Nurideen Iddrisu, former President John Dramani Mahama, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Sylvester Adinam Mensah (Sly); former Trade Minister, Ekwow Mr Spio-Garbrah; Mr Augustus Goosie Tanoh and former Vice-Chancellor of University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof. Joshua Alabi

At the end of the day, John Dramani Mahama grabbed 213,487 votes representing 95.24% out of the total valid vote cast of 225,521.

He was followed by Prof. Joshua Alabi who managed only 3,404 votes representing 1.52% while Alban Sumani Kingsford Bagbin placed third with 2,301 representing 1.03%.

Goosie Tanoh, the founder of the defunct National Reformed Party, came fourth with 2,091 votes respectively representing 0.93%.

Giving his victory speech, Mr. Mahama called for unity in the party towards the 2020 elections stating emphatically “it’s my hope that with the current environment, we will work together and eschew all attempts to divide us, because in the business of politics, we know what happens. Let us be one. Let us trust each other and let us not believe the kind of stories that will be circulated creating the impression that one is trying to undermine the other."

The Upper West Akyem MP was hopeful "Ghanaians are ready to give us the mandate to rule if the NDC is ready and organized, come the year 2020…Ghanaians are assessing what he did and what he’s doing including what is there to do. Now they have all the space to weigh things and that’s the difference now”.