Veteran journalist Kwasi Pratt Jnr has condemned the early scramble among National Democratic Congress (NDC) appointees for the party’s 2028 flagbearer position, describing the behaviour as reckless and a warning signal about the Mahama administration’s commitment to its core governance mandate.
Speaking on Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, May 23, Pratt argued that the jostling was particularly troubling given that the NDC had been in power for only about 17 months following its 2024 general election victory. He said appointees owed their positions to the mandate Ghanaians gave the party and should be directing their full attention toward delivering on campaign promises rather than advancing personal political interests.
“Unfortunately, many people in key positions do not appear to be focusing on this agenda and are focusing on their personal, individual, egoistic ambitions,” Pratt said. “That is a danger sign.”
Political analyst and Executive Director of Global InforAnalytics, Mussah Dankwah, added a sharper operational dimension to the assessment, saying some NDC ministers and appointees had become disconnected from the party’s grassroots structures. He argued the premature positioning was backfiring on those engaged in it. “The performance of ministers will determine the outcome of the NDC flagbearer race,” he said, adding that delegates he had engaged were clear that only appointees seen to be actively supporting the Mahama administration’s delivery agenda would be viewed as credible contenders.
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emmanuel Bombande offered a structural perspective, arguing that the NDC’s 2028 prospects would depend not only on the identity of the eventual flagbearer but on how fairly and transparently the internal selection process was conducted. A credible process, he said, would keep the party united heading into the election. A contested or perceived unfair one would generate internal fractures regardless of the outcome. Bombande also cautioned against over-relying on current polling, noting that candidates not yet tracked could emerge as the eventual choice of delegates.
The NDC has not yet opened nominations for the flagbearer contest, making the current manoeuvring entirely premature by the party’s own institutional timeline. All three commentators shared the view that the administration’s performance in office remained the most consequential variable in determining the party’s electoral viability in 2028.
