Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has taken a subtle swipe at the parallel appreciation tours within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) during an event in the Savannah Region in the presence of President John Dramani Mahama.
Referring to President Mahama’s post-election engagements with party supporters, Mr. Iddrisu described the President’s tour as the “proper” thank-you tour.
“I recall when the President came for his thank you tour, not the other thank you tour,” he said. “A proper thank you tour of President Mahama, not the curtain-raiser one.”
His comments come amid a separate nationwide “Thank You Tour” being undertaken by the NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, following the party’s victory in the 2024 general elections.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia’s tour aims to express gratitude to Ghanaians for returning the NDC to power.During a recent stop in Tamale, the NDC Chairman defended the controversial parliamentary leadership reshuffle ahead of the elections, stating:
“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 acknowledged that the decision caused internal tension and was misunderstood by some supporters, but maintained it was a strategic move rather than a personal conflict:
“There was hell, and people started thinking that somebody who has been my friend for more than 20 years has suddenly become my enemy.”The reshuffle in January 2023 replaced Mr. Iddrisu as Minority Leader with Cassiel Ato Forson and involved other key leadership changes in the party’s parliamentary team.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia also claimed that despite the reshuffle, he pushed for Mr. Iddrisu and Muntaka Muhammed to hold important appointments in President Mahama’s second term, with Iddrisu appointed Minister for Education.Mr. Haruna’s remarks are widely seen as an indirect response to Mr. Asiedu Nketia’s comments on the leadership changes.
