According to Bempah, Rawlings posed a probing question to him before passing away, seeking his opinion on whether Mahama would ever return to power. Bempah recounted: “Former President Rawlings, almost one to two months before his death, told me that Mahama will never be President of this country… Rawlings! For someone dead, I can never say anything that is not true about him.” He shared this revelation while speaking on Onua FM.
John Dramani Mahama, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), first became President in 2012 following the sudden death of President John Evans Atta Mills. At the time, Mahama was Vice President and was constitutionally required to complete Mills' term.
In December 2012, Mahama ran for a full term as the NDC's flagbearer and won, serving as Ghana's fourth President under the Fourth Republic from 7 January 2013 to 7 January 2017. However, he was defeated by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the NPP in the 2016 general elections.
Despite his loss, Mahama has remained an influential figure in Ghanaian politics. He ran for the presidency again in 2020 but was once more defeated by Akufo-Addo. Now, as the NDC's flagbearer for the upcoming 2024 general election, Mahama is making his third attempt to return to the presidency. This marks a pivotal moment in Ghana’s political landscape, with his campaign expected to play a significant role in shaping the direction of the election and the future governance of the country.