A Tale of Two Tours
Chale, a serious film is playing out inside the National Democratic Congress, and the audience is getting a front-row seat to all the drama. After an election season, you'd think these people would take a rest, but no. The party's 'Thank You' tours have become a source of confusion rather than gratitude. Just this week, party Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia was in Tamale for a thanksgiving rally, only for President John Dramani Mahama to show up in the same constituency—specifically Sawla—during the same week for a similar purpose. It feels like the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing, or worse, they know exactly what they're doing and simply don't care.
The Ghost of Reshuffles Past
This situation isn't just about party logistics; it's about feelings that have been bruised for three long years. In January 2023, the party leadership pulled a stunt that many still talk about in hushed tones: the sudden reshuffle of Haruna Iddrisu as Minority Leader and Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka as Minority Chief Whip. The move sent shockwaves through the party base. Haruna Iddrisu, a heavy hitter from the North, was stripped of his leadership role, and his supporters have been nursing that wound ever since. The fact that the Chairman decided to conduct his tour in Haruna's backyard in Tamale feels less like a coincidence and more like a tactical provocation.
The General's Sharp Teeth
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, isn't a man who does anything by accident. He earned that nickname because his political reach is both annoying and lethal. He has a way of sinking his teeth into his opponents until they go limp. Remember back in December 2022, when he faced off against Ofosu-Ampofo for the chairmanship? He didn't just win; he decimated the opposition.
He used a leaked tape to suggest that the leadership failures of 2020 were the reason the party crashed at the polls. He claimed the IT systems failed them on election night, an admission he used to clear his own name while throwing his rival under the bus on national radio.
When the Coach Speaks
What makes the current situation so spicy is the way the General is speaking about his relationship with the flagbearer. In his speech in Tamale, Asiedu Nketia didn't mince words. He revealed that he had to personally check John Dramani Mahama during the 2023 shake-up, effectively telling the former President, “I am the coach.” He even took credit for keeping Haruna Iddrisu and Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka in the mix come January 2025, claiming it was his intervention that secured them prominent roles. This is a massive power play. He's telling the party faithful that the hierarchy is firmly under his boot, and even the man running for President has to bow to his strategic vision.
The General's words have not gone unnoticed: "I countered by reminding him (Mahama) that I am the coach, and he (Mahama) backed down."
The Political Calculus of 2028
If you look at the map of Ghana, the North is a crucial battleground for any party wanting to win the Jubilee House. Haruna Iddrisu carries significant weight in those regions, and the Zongo communities in Kumasi are deeply tied to the political fortunes of Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka. By making a mortal enemy of these men in their own territory, Asiedu Nketia is playing with fire. Politics is local, and nobody likes a visitor who comes to their house just to show them that he owns the roof over their head. The party base is watching, and their patience is wearing thin.
They're wondering if the Northern voters will decide that an insult to Haruna is an insult to them, which would spell disaster for the NDC in the next election.