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Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who blames everyone, but himself, believes his party must redeem its image in the eyes of Ghanaians, if it is to stand a chance in the 2020 elections.

Jerry John Rawlings, in an attempt to douse the anger of the NDC rank and file, following his claims that President Akufo-Addo will win the 2020 presidential elections, said a cleanup and the “restoration of our integrity” in the NDC is paramount to revise his prophesy.

“We don’t like to hear it, but I keep repeating it. We have to go back and seize the moral high ground and I believe we know what we have to do,” he said in an interview with TV3 news but once again failing to explain his concept of the “moral high ground”.

The former president, was struggling to clarify his earlier statement suggesting it would be impossible for the NDC to win back power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2020.

He claimed. he held the best interest of the NDC, as far as the 2020 elections were concerned, but questioned the readiness of the NDC to effect the needed changes to win power.

“I would very much want to see the NPP beaten, but do we have what it takes? Do we have the capacity to be able to wrestle power from them? That is the issue we should be addressing. We should be looking at this question a lot more seriously than we have done so far.”

“We know what we have to do, but I don’t think we are prepared to confront it or that is what I have noticed about some of our people,” Mr. Rawlings stated.

The former President rates himself above everyone in the NDC, and blames and criticizes the party hierarchy, claiming it has strayed from its core values of probity and accountability, and instead allowing room for corruption.

Having previously called for a complete overhaul of the NDC, he stressed that the party needed to turn to the grassroots, as it puts in place strategies for the 2020 elections. “…Let’s give the party back to them [the grassroots], they are the ones who actually make it possible to win or lose elections, let’s respect their views,” he advised.

Mr. Rawlings, questioned his party’s readiness to win back power from the governing NPP in the 2020 general elections.

He said, his wish is to see the NDC win the 2020 elections, but wondered if the party, had what it takes to beat the Akufo-Addo-led government.

“Let me simply say, that I will very much want to see the NPP beaten but do we have what it takes? Do we have the capacity to be able to wrestle power from them?” he quizzed.

Mr Rawlings in an earlier interaction with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EIB Network, Bola Ray, said it was impossible for the NDC to beat the NPP in 2020. He was reported to have asked “These people think they can unseat this man [Akufo-Addo] in 2020?”

Asked by Bola Ray, if he thought it was impossible for the NDC to unseat the NPP in 2020, the founder of the NDC answered: “NPP? After only four years? No!” adding that, if the NPP, does “well enough”, it will retain power in 2020, and “so far it doesn’t look too bad”.

For the NDC to regain power, Mr. Rawlings told TV3 that, the party must begin to clean up.

“The most important factor I believe has to do with the issue of the cleanup that needs to be done; the restoration of our integrity. We don’t like to hear it but I keep repeating it. We have to go back, seek a moral high ground and I believe we know what to do but I don’t think we are prepared to confront it or that’s what I’ve noticed about some of our people,” he observed.

He added: “The manner in which the electoral process has been happening since Sunyani has not been encouraging. It’s unfortunate, most unfortunate how come we lost the moral high grounds. I think they know what needs to be done.”

Mr. Rawlings said the NDC, should embark on an empowerment process to give the party back to the grassroot. In his view “…Let’s give the party back to them [grassroot], they are the ones who actually make it possible to win or lose elections, let’s respect their views, lets respect their pain, their sensitivity.”

He advised the top hierarchy, to unite around the old values of the party.

News was rife last Friday that the Former president, had suggested that NPP, would win the 2020 elections if it is able to sustain its performance within the next four years.

He was reported to have said, the NPP will win in 2020 “If they do well in enough… And so far it doesn’t look too bad.”

Throwing more light on his statement, Rawlings noted the NDC, has lost touch with the grassroots and the surest way to recapture power is by rebuilding a strong bond with the grassroots of the party.

“Let’s give the party back to them, they are the ones who actually make it possible to win or lose elections, let’s respect their views.”

He was worried that after the party’s congress held in Sunyani in 2012 where his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, was defeated, it has not been able to deal with issues that have plagued its electoral process.

“The manner in which the electoral process has been happening since Sunyani, has not been encouraging. It’s unfortunate, most unfortunate how come we lost the moral high grounds. I think they know what needs to be done: he asserted.

Rawlings advised that “the most important factor I believe has to do with the issue of the cleanup that needs to be done; the restoration of our integrity. We don’t like to hear it but I keep repeating it. We have to go back, seek a moral high ground.”

Akufo-Addo in the 2016 elections, obtained a staggering 5,716,609 of total votes cast in the 2016 elections, representing 53.84percent, to snatch the Presidency from John Mahama, who secured 4,713,277 votes (44.40%).

There were issues of hacking into the data base of the Electoral Commission (EC), but it is yet to be investigated and the public told what happened.

Names such as ex-President John Dramani Mahama, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Sylvester Mensah, Spio Garbrah, Horace Ankrah, Alban Bagbin, Oppong Ofosu and Joshua Alabi, have come up as potential contenders for the flagbearer position on the ticket of opposition NDC as the party prepares to organise its congress.