National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has broken his silence on one of the most controversial decisions in the party’s recent history, revealing that the 2023 overhaul of the Minority leadership in Parliament was a deliberate electoral calculation he championed, even over initial objections from President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking in Tamale, Mr Nketiah described the period as one demanding bold and unpopular choices, framing his role in stark terms.
“New things were emerging and I said that we have to change the forward line of Parliament, otherwise it will be difficult for us to win the election,” he said.
Positioning himself as the architect of the strategy, Mr Nketiah was unapologetic about overriding dissenting voices within the party, including from the President himself.
“You have elected me as Chairman of this party. I am the coach of the party going into the election, so let me make the changes that will win us the election,” he recounted telling party leadership.
The reshuffle, announced in January 2023, replaced Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and saw Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Kwame Agbodza and others take on new parliamentary leadership roles. At the time, the move sparked fierce public debate and internal tensions that Mr Nketiah acknowledged were deeply personal.
“There was hell, and people started thinking that somebody who has been my friend for more than 20 years has suddenly become my enemy,” he said, insisting the decision was strictly strategic and never personal.
Following the NDC’s resounding victory at the December 2024 polls, Mr Nketiah said he personally advocated for the reintegration of those who had been removed, advising President Mahama to bring Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak into government, a position the President accepted. Both were subsequently appointed to senior roles.
Pointing to the scale of the NDC’s 2024 triumph as vindication, Mr Nketiah was bullish in his assessment.
“We went into the election and we won. Have you seen such victory in Ghana since the beginning of the Fourth Republic?” he said.
The Chairman also used the occasion to caution against the emergence of internal factions, warning that attempts to splinter the party along personal loyalties would be counterproductive.
“If you are forming groups — Haruna groups, Asiedu Nketiah groups — that is not our case. The NDC will continue to be one,” he declared.
