Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has revealed that the party’s landslide victory in the 2024 general elections was largely due to bold and strategic changes made to its parliamentary leadership in 2023.
The restructuring involved replacing the then Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu with Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, MP for Ajumako Enyan Essiam, alongside other key leadership shifts, including the appointment of Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority Leader and Kwame Agbodza as Minority Whip.
Speaking during his Thank You tour in Tamale, Asiedu Nketia explained the rationale behind the reshuffle:
“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.
He described his role as the party’s “coach” going into the election, despite initial disagreement from President John Dramani Mahama:
“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.
Asiedu Nketia acknowledged that the decision caused tension within the party and was misunderstood as a personal conflict rather than a strategic move:
“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.
Clarifying the intent, he added that the reshuffle aimed to strengthen the party’s chances and not to sideline senior members. After the election, he advised President Mahama to include experienced figures such as Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak in government, a suggestion the President embraced. Iddrisu was subsequently appointed Minister for Education, while Muntaka became Minister for the Interior.
Asiedu Nketia described the 2024 election victory as historic:
“We went into the election, and we won. Have you seen such a victory in Ghana since the beginning of the Fourth Republic? If you are forming groups, Haruna groups, Asiedu Nketia groups, that is not our case. The NDC will continue to be one,” he stressed, urging party unity and an end to factional politics.
This strategic leadership overhaul and commitment to unity are seen as key factors behind the NDC’s success in Ghana’s recent elections.
