Ghanaians are at the polls today and making their voting choices for most may not be burdensome as, though there are seven candidates running in the election, only two are significant and will be going head to head today.

It’s only right that we introduce the five candidates who are less prominent before we get to the real business. Three time presidential hopeful, Paa Kwesi Ndoum of the Progressive People’s Party; former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party; running for the sixth time,  Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention; newcomer, Ivor Greenstreet of Convention People’s Party and Jacob Osei Yeboah who is an independent candidate.

But the two headliners are sitting president, John Mahama who is gunning for a second term and New Patriotic Party’s 72 year old Nana Akufo-Addo who has been in the presidential race since 2008.

Here’s what you should know about the two major candidates, one of whom will emerge as Ghana’s president after today’s elections:

John Dramani Mahama

The New Democratic Congress candidate won the Ghanaian election in 2012 and at the time, was touted as the messiah of Ghana so much that he got the nickname, Obama Mahama. As he rose to presidency, John Mahama had gained popularity in Ghana’s political sphere first as Communications Minister then as Member of Parliament representing the Bole/Bamboi constituency for three terms.

President John Mahama served as Vice President under former president John Atta Mills who died in office on July 24, 2012. After Atta Mills’ death, John Mahama served as president for the remaining five months of that administration. It only made common sense that he ran for president in the elections few months after and he won. At the time, he secured more than half of the total votes cast.

Winning this election may be a struggle for President John Mahama as his popularity among the populace has dwindled since the country’s economy has received the biggest hit in a while. A country that had enjoyed stable and enviable power supply in previous years experienced a 159-day blackout and days of epileptic power supply. It has become so bad that the president has gotten a new nickname “Mr Dorsum” meaning “On and Off” in Twi language.

Beyond his failure in the power sector, the president has been accused of corruption and the downward turn of Ghana’s economy altogether seems like proof that indeed President Mahama has failed the people of Ghana. The prices of gold, oil and cocoa beans have dropped and the country has faced a currency crisis. Ghana took a bailout of close to $1 billion last year which required public spending to be cut.

58 year old, John Mahama however is convinced that his administration is on the right track and deserves a second term. “We have done much work, but more needs to be done and we can only advance faster if we press on and stay the course” Mahama said.

Nana Akufo-Addo

He is in the presidential race for the third time running under National Patriotic Party. He lost to John Atta Mills in 2008 and to John Mahama in 2012. The resilient 72 year old now runs with the manifesto, Change: An Agenda for Jobs.

His chances of winning in this elections are somewhat high as President John Mahama’s unimpressive leadership has caused the people to lose confidence in him. At a rally, Nana Akufo-Addo said, “I am not seeking political power to steal your money or to loot the national coffers. The NPP has got the men and women who will implement our sound policies and programs to end the current hardship the nation is going through due to President Mahama’s poor handling of the economy. The time to change the hardship is now.”

Akufo-Addo has also served three terms between 1996 and 2004 as Member of Parliament representing Abuakwa South consituency. He also served as Attorney General and later as Foreign Minister for five years. In 2003, he was Chairman of the ECOWAS Meditation and Security Council.

He earned international praise when he contested the declaration of John Mahama as president in 2012 and accepted the Supreme Court ruling upholding the election results.

This opposition leader has been freely handed a leverage by the current president and opponent. The crashing economy has been the focal point of his campaign as he has promised to revive it through job creation.