Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has taken what many see as a subtle swipe at Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, describing President John Dramani Mahama’s post-election outreach as the “proper” thank-you tour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking in Sawla in the Savannah Region on Friday, May 22, Mr. Iddrisu appeared to distinguish President Mahama’s tour from another recent outreach initiative by the party chairman, insisting that Mahama’s was the official appreciation tour.
“I recall when President Mahama came for his thank you tour — not the other thank you tour — the proper thank you tour of President Mahama as President and flagbearer,” he said.
In comments already stirring political debate within the governing party, he added: “What cannot be said? We can say it. A proper thank you tour of President Mahama, not the curtain-raiser one.”
The remarks came on the same day Mr. Asiedu Nketiah defended the parliamentary leadership reshuffle that saw Mr. Iddrisu replaced as Minority Leader by Cassiel Ato Forson, arguing that the changes played a key role in the NDC’s victory in the 2024 general election.
The reshuffle, announced in January 2023, led to a complete overhaul of the Minority leadership as part of what the party described as a strategic reorganisation ahead of the polls.
During his recent thank-you tour in Tamale, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah maintained that the NDC needed a new “forward line” in Parliament to strengthen its chances against the then-governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Despite the backlash and tensions that followed the decision, the NDC went on to secure a decisive victory in the 2024 elections, with both Mr. Iddrisu and former Chief Whip Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak later appointed to senior positions in the Mahama administration.
Although Mr. Iddrisu did not directly explain what he meant by the “curtain-raiser” remark, his comments are expected to fuel further discussion within the NDC over lingering divisions, reconciliation efforts, and the political consequences of the leadership shake-up.
