Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is contesting again to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) into the 2020 presidential elections, believes the flagbearer election is a done deal for him.

Mr Mahama, in his address hours after submitting his nomination forms at the party’s headquarters yesterday, said when he wins, emphasising that, “I didn’t say if,” meaning he is only waiting for the formality to endorse him at the party’s primaries.

According to him, when he wins, he will bring together the other contenders to work together for a victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Mahama said after losing the previous election, he thought of going back to his private life would be a better experience, but later decided to come back, because the ruling government had disappointed the country.

He believed that he is much better prepared now to lead the NDC as a flagbearer, and then as a presidential candidate, because he has been there before.

Before the national contest will be the internal one to choose a leader, but all indications point to the fact that Mahama will be chosen again.

Not long ago, a flagbearer hopeful in the NDC, Ricket Hagan, had to back off because he believed “the delegates have already decided,” he stated in a release.

According to him, through his one-year campaign across the country to campaign, he realised that the attention was towards a direction, and that no other aspirant mattered to most of the delegates.

Other aspirant hopefuls have also stepped down from the contest, with the same or similar excuse, as, perhaps, they are mindful of their money going waste, when the process was proving to favour another contender.

The majority of the NDC members of Parliament (MPs) have openly declared their support for Mr Mahama, and contributing money to push his campaign.

At the party’s recent Delegates’ Conference held in the Fantasy Dome at the International Trade Fair Centre, Accra, a song composed for Mahama was played, a development which angered the other contenders.

Whilst other aspirant hopefuls were crying for a reduction in the GH¢400,000 filing fee, days after the announcement, people within the NDC had already contributed money, which even exceeded the 420,000 total amount for the nomination forms and filing fee.

As if that was not enough, some of the aspirant-hopefuls have complained in public about their reservations of the election processes ahead of the presidential primary. They claim the process is only in favour of a particular candidate.

At the time of filing this report yesterday, four people had submitted their nomination forms. They are Alban Bagbin, Joshua Alabi, John Mahama, and Sylvester Mensah.

However, the party is expected to have the flagbearer election in later January, 2019.