Stop premature presidential campaigns, activities - NDC Council of Elders to party members

The Council of Elders of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned members of the party against premature presidential campaigns and related political activities.

It observed that such premature campaigns and activities were creating unease among sections of the party and the wider public.

A statement issued by the Council said it held a meeting with President John Dramani Mahama, who is also the leader of the NDC, last Friday, at which they had extensive deliberations on matters concerning party unity, discipline, and the collective responsibility of all members towards the successful implementation of the government’s Resetting Agenda.

Internal elections

It, therefore, directed all persons engaged in such activities to cease forthwith. 

“These include all forms of campaigning, mobilisation, endorsements, publicity, or related activities intended to advance the presidential ambitions of any prospective candidate.” 

It drew the attention of such persons to the provisions of Article 42 of the Constitution of the NDC, which clearly stipulates: 

“The date and venue for the election of the Presidential Candidate shall be decided by the National Executive Committee (NEC), but that election shall take place at least twelve (12) months before a national election date if the party is in power and at least twenty-four (24) months if the party is not in power.” 

The statement stressed that until the appropriate constitutional processes had been initiated and the National Executive Committee had determined the timetable and guidelines for the conduct of presidential primaries, “no individual, group, or interest bloc is authorised to undertake or promote any form of presidential campaign, whether directly or indirectly.”

Mandate

It reminded members that the NDC was currently focused on delivering on the mandate entrusted to it by Ghanaians. 

“At this critical stage of national reconstruction and renewal, every member of the party is expected to devote his or her energies, resources, and commitment to supporting the government’s efforts to reset the country and improve the lives of Ghanaians, rather than engaging in activities that have the potential to create division, distraction, or unnecessary internal competition,” it stated. 

The statement called on all party members to remain focused on the larger task before the party, that was “consolidating the party’s unity, supporting the government’s transformational agenda, and working together to fulfil the expectations of the Ghanaian people.”

It reminded the party faithful that the time for internal contests would come, but for now, “our collective responsibility is to serve the nation and successfully implement the mandate entrusted to us.”

Candidates

In recent weeks, the mainstream media and social media platforms have been filled with potential presidential candidates of the NDC for the 2028 presidential elections.

Some of the names include the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, who has been described as a politician without blemish; Finance Minister and acting Minister of Defence, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the National Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu; Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku and Vice-Chairman of the party, Prof. Joshua Alabi.

In a recent article, the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, reminded appointees of President Mahama that they had been entrusted with responsibility in the reset agenda and not act “as individuals advancing separate interests, but as custodians of a shared national project.

“To fragment that focus, to reduce it to parochial platforms or emerging factions, is to place the entire effort at risk. Nations have lost momentum this way before: not through dramatic failure, but through gradual distraction,” he wrote.

He reminded the appointees that the “clock is not yet ticking toward succession; it is ticking toward delivery, and for now, discipline must prevail over ambition.”