Ghana's Hillary Clinton': Nana Rawlings is first woman to run for president in West African country, as election gets underway

As Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings admitted in a radio interview: “To sit here and pretend that my husband doesn’t look at any women - I think that it will be such a folly. He’s human.”

Despite her husband's backing, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings remains an outsider in the field. The main contender is Nana Akufo-Addo, 72, of the opposition New Patriotic Party, who lost narrowly to Mr Mahama in 2012.

In an election of firsts, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, running for the Convention People's Party, is the first person with a physical disability to run for president in Ghana.

Who will lead Ghana?

There are seven candidates battling for the top job and if the smaller parties perform well and deny either men a majority, a presidential run-off will be held later in December.

Mahama, 58, is running for a second term, with Akufo-Addo, 72, making his third - and likely last - bid for the highest office.

Leaving nothing to chance on the last day of campaigning Monday, Mahama held three rallies in the major swing regions of Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti and Greater Accra.

His final rally was full of supporters wearing white - a sign of victory - banging cowbells, dancing and posing for selfies.