NDC Council of Elders Issues Stern Warning Against Premature Presidential Campaigns

The Council of Elders of the National Democratic Congress has issued a forceful directive to party members, ordering an immediate halt to all premature presidential campaign activities and demanding that attention be redirected toward governance and the delivery of the party’s development agenda.

The intervention, which followed an emergency closed-door consultative meeting between the advisory council and President John Mahama on Friday, May 29, 2026, signals a determined effort to stamp out the internal factionalism that has begun to surface within the ruling party less than two years into its term.

At the heart of the council’s concern are growing reports of well-funded campaign operations by certain individuals and interest groups within the NDC. The elders warned that such early manoeuvring threatens to fracture party cohesion at a time when the government should be singularly focused on implementing its flagship “Resetting Agenda” for national development.

In a strongly worded communique released after the meeting, the council drew a direct line between internal political jockeying and the risk of derailing governance. “At this critical stage of national reconstruction and renewal, every member of the Party is expected to devote his or her energies, resources, and commitment to supporting the Government’s efforts to reset the country and improve the lives of Ghanaians,” the statement read.

The council grounded its directive in Article 42 of the NDC Constitution, which sets out the formal timelines and protocols for the election of a flagbearer. The elders emphasised that the process falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Executive Committee, and that until the NEC formally publishes a timetable and guidelines for presidential primaries, no individual, group, or proxy organisation has the authority to engage in any form of campaigning, whether directly or indirectly.

The directive effectively constitutes a cease-and-desist order, covering all forms of media campaigning, structural mobilisation, public endorsements, and backroom political machinations. It is a sweeping intervention that reflects the depth of concern within the party’s senior ranks about the direction of internal politics.

The timing of the warning is significant. With the next general election still years away, the council appears determined to prevent the kind of protracted, divisive primary campaigns that have historically weakened incumbent parties in Ghana’s political landscape. The NDC’s return to power came on the strength of a united front, and the elders are clearly keen to preserve that cohesion.

The council closed its statement with an appeal for patience and collective responsibility. “The time for internal contests will come. For now, our collective responsibility is to serve the nation and successfully implement the mandate entrusted to us,” the communique concluded.

Whether the directive will be heeded remains to be seen. In Ghanaian politics, early campaign manoeuvres often operate through informal networks that are difficult to police. But the public nature of the council’s warning sends an unmistakable signal: the party establishment is watching, and it expects discipline.

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