Race to succeed President Mahama: It’s premature to campaign - Asiedu Nketiah tells NDC aspirants
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that it is premature for any member of the party to campaign to lead the NDC into the 2028 elections.
“If you campaign to replace President John Dramani Mahama when the government has not even attained a year in office and for that achieve its goals, then we are not serious as a political party,” he stated.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic on his ‘Thank You’ tour of the country, he said all those with presidential ambitions must concentrate on supporting President Mahama to achieve his agenda of resetting the economy and improving the lives of the citizenry.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah called for unity and discipline to sustain the party’s momentum and avoid the kind of infighting that, in his view, is weakening the opposition.
Context
Mr Asiedu Nketiah’s ‘Thank You’ tour has stirred controversy in political circles, with some suggesting that the three-day programme was less about gratitude and more about positioning for a future presidential bid.
The September 17 to 19, 2025, tour across 16 constituencies in the Eastern Region has been officially marketed as a follow-up appreciation effort on behalf of the NDC.
Party officials say it was meant to recognise the contributions of executives, cadres, and grassroots organisers who worked tirelessly for the NDC’s victory in the 2024 elections and assure the electorate that the NDC will keep to its promises.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the party was reaching out to all the electorate, stressing it was too early for any member of the party to begin campaigning either for the party’s flagbearer position or for a national executive role.
Credibility
He recalled that in the run-up to the 2024 elections, he (Asiedu Nketiah) announced that the party was going to run a three-pronged campaign with President Mahama and the then running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, focusing on the presidential campaign at different levels while he led the campaign for parliamentary candidates.
He explained that each campaign was tailored to the needs of every constituency, which resulted in the party flipping over a number of seats.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said during the electioneering, he promised to visit the constituencies to thank them for the confidence reposed in the NDC, adding that he did not have to wait for the next elections.
“Credibility is important in politics. I don’t have to wait for the next elections to visit the constituencies to thank them and campaign at the same time,” he stated.
The NDC chairman pointed out that he was not an armchair chairman but someone who took the frontline in politics by actively campaigning.
“It is therefore important to reach out to not only our supporters but the electorate as well,” he stated.
Elections
As to when the party would go to the polls to elect its leaders and flag bearer, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the party was yet to take those decisions, stressing that “our preoccupation is to support President Mahama deliver on his promises.”
He emphasised that anyone campaigning to be the party’s flag bearer would be doing so in vain since the delegates to elect the flag bearer would change when the party began its internal elections.
He urged party members to remain calm and united as President Mahama’s administration gradually settled to create more opportunities for appointments and appealed for understanding as the leadership of the party was working to ensure all loyal members got the opportunity to serve.
