Former Ghanaian President John Mahama's decision to make a fresh bid for the presidency does not come as a surprise.

He gave a strong indication of his desire to seek re-election by organising "unity walks" to heal the divisions in his National Democratic Congress (NDC) party following their defeat in the 2016 elections.

On Thursday, Mr Mahama said he would seek the NDC's nomination to run for the presidency in the 2020 election.

“I’ve prayed diligently about the task ahead and I believe I owe a duty to God and my country to take our great party back into government,” he said in a video posted on social media.

His chances of securing the nomination - ahead of Alban Bagbin, the opposition leader in parliament - are very high. He has the youth of the party behind him, he remains its most marketable candidate and has the financial war chest needed to run the NDC's 2020 campaign.

Mr Mahama was president for one four-year term. His bid for a second term failed after he was defeated by then-opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo.

The 2020 elections, according to NDC officials, will be about comparing the four years of Mr Mahama's government to the four years of Mr Akufo-Addo's government.

The NDC says the current government has been a failure - a charge it strongly rejects.