Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has called on party members to end speculation over who will lead the party into the 2028 presidential election.
Speaking on JoyNews’ News Desk, Gbande stressed that the NDC’s immediate priority must be supporting President John Dramani Mahama and ensuring the success of his administration, which returned to power less than a year ago.
His comments follow a new poll by Global Info Analytics that ranked Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu, as the leading contender to head the NDC in the next general elections.
Gbande, however, cautioned that such discussions are premature and risk distracting the government.
“I am determined that President Mahama must succeed, and that is my focus in the meantime. That is also the focus of the larger and majority of individuals in our party. We cannot fail the masses, we cannot fail you, we cannot fail the people of Ghana. So let us kill this conversation for now. That discussion is one for when the time is right,” he said.
He argued that the NDC government is still in its early days and should be assessed on its performance rather than future succession battles.
“We just came to power, and we are yet to give a full account of our one-year term. In the proper context of political transitions, there has never been a time when any government has, within nine months, been met with the kind of expectations we now face,” Gbande noted.
According to him, the NDC’s electoral future will depend on its delivery.
“Our trump card will be our performance. If we fail, we can go and bring Jesus Christ to come and lead the party; we will still go to the opposition,” he cautioned.
Gbande also took aim at the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), claiming they lack credibility.
“The only luck we have is that the alternative is not something anyone would want to venture into. Currently, they are enemies of the state and very disorganised,” he said.
While acknowledging the relevance of polls and the popularity of figures such as Haruna Iddrisu, Gbande insisted that the timing is wrong for leadership debates.
“We are happy that these polls are coming, no two ways about it, but I am saying that this is not the time to engage in that conversation,” he concluded.
Source: myjoyonline
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