In what appeared to be a subtle jab at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has described President John Dramani Mahama’s post-election outreach as the “proper” thank-you tour of the party.
Speaking in Sawla in the Savannah Region on Friday, May 22, Mr. Iddrisu appeared to draw a distinction between President Mahama’s tour and another recent outreach effort by Asiedu Nketiah, insisting that Mahama’s tour 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 remarks that have already sparked political discussion 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 comments come on the same day the NDC National Chairman also stated that the parliamentary leadership reshuffle, which saw Mr. Iddrisu removed as Minority Leader and replaced by Cassiel Ato Forson, helped the party win the 2024 election.
The changes, announced by the NDC leadership in January 2023, resulted in a complete restructuring of the Minority leadership as part of what the party described as a broader strategic reorganisation ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Mr. Asiedu Nketiah recently defended the controversial reshuffle during his thank-you tour in Tamale, arguing that the move was necessary to strengthen the party’s electoral prospects.
According to him, the NDC required a new “forward line” in Parliament to improve its chances of defeating the then-governing New Patriotic Party in the 2024 polls.
Despite strong backlash and internal tensions at the time, the NDC went on to secure a decisive electoral victory, 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 elaborate on what he meant by the “curtain-raiser” remark, the statement is likely to intensify conversations within the NDC over lingering divisions, reconciliation efforts, and the political fallout from the parliamentary leadership shake-up.
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