NDC Council of Elders Orders Halt to Premature Presidential Campaigns
The Council of Elders of the National Democratic Congress has issued a firm directive ordering all party members and affiliated groups engaged in early presidential campaign activities to cease immediately, in a move that underscores growing unease within the ruling party about the direction of internal political jockeying.
The directive followed a meeting between the Council and President John Dramani Mahama on May 29, 2026, during which the two bodies discussed party unity, discipline, and the imperative of rallying behind the government’s Resetting Agenda. In a statement issued after the meeting, the Council expressed concern over reports of premature presidential campaigns and related political manoeuvring by individuals and groups within the party.
The intervention is not without precedent. Former Tamale Central MP Inusah Fuseini recently mounted a robust defence of the Council’s role in internal party affairs, arguing that such interventions are both necessary and constitutionally grounded within the NDC’s structures. That defence now appears prescient, as the Council moves from commentary to direct action.
The NDC is currently in government, and the Council’s message is clear: the party’s energies should be directed towards delivering on the mandate given to it by Ghanaians rather than being consumed by succession politics more than three years before the next general election. Members have been urged to channel their resources and commitment towards supporting the administration’s efforts to improve the lives of citizens.
The timing of the directive is noteworthy. With the government still in the early stages of its Resetting Agenda — a broad programme of economic and institutional reform — internal distractions could undermine both the party’s credibility and its ability to govern effectively. Deputy National Communications Officer Godwin Ako Gunn has previously pushed back against claims of internal divisions, insisting the party remains united, but the Council’s intervention suggests the leadership is taking no chances.
Premature campaign activities are a recurring feature of Ghanaian politics, often fuelled by factional interests and the desire to shape the political landscape well ahead of formal contest periods. For the NDC, the challenge is particularly acute given the party’s history of bruising internal contests that have, at times, spilled into the public domain and provided ammunition for the opposition.
The Council of Elders’ directive sends an unmistakable signal: unity of purpose must take precedence over personal ambition, at least for now. Whether the directive will be heeded remains to be seen, but the backing of President Mahama lends it considerable weight.
Image Source: GHANAIAN TIMES
