President John Dramani Mahama has reportedly issued a stern warning to his appointees, threatening to dismiss any minister or senior government offici
President John Dramani Mahama has reportedly issued a stern warning to his appointees, threatening to dismiss any minister or senior government official who openly campaigns to replace him in the 2028 presidential election.
Some appointees are positioning themselves for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential race ahead of the 2028 election.
The directive, said to have been delivered before the Christmas season, reflects growing unease within the governing party over early succession manoeuvres barely a year into Mahama’s new administration.
Sources within the party claim the President is determined to prevent internal competition from undermining his government’s focus, particularly at a time when his administration is still consolidating power after returning to office.
The reported warning is believed to have sent shockwaves through sections of the government, especially among appointees widely perceived to harbour future presidential ambitions.
Names circulating in party circles include Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, and Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu among others.
Following the President’s alleged directive, several informal networks and internal WhatsApp platforms that had become spaces for quiet mobilisation and agenda-setting among aspiring figures have reportedly gone silent.
Some sitting on cash as ministers are doling out money to party activists to oil the political system ahead of their official declarations.
However, the Vice President Opoku Agyemang is allegedly using her recent visits to ministries where she interacts with ministers to touch base in readiness for the flag off campaign.
Party insiders say ministers and politically ambitious officials are now reluctant to share messages, coordinate support, or make public appearances that could be interpreted as laying the groundwork for a 2028 bid, fearing sanctions from the president.
The development has deepened uncertainty within the NDC, with many now questioning whether Mahama’s crackdown is simply aimed at protecting government cohesion—or whether it signals unresolved questions about his own political future.
Although Mahama has publicly maintained that he will respect the constitutional two-term limit, sections of the party continue to push a controversial “third-term agenda,” arguing that his leadership remains indispensable.
That lingering debate has left potential successors guessing, unsure whether the President intends to step aside or could be persuaded by internal pressure to remain in the race.
The confusion has been compounded by activities within the party hierarchy.
Despite no formal declaration of presidential ambition, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia has embarked on a nationwide “Thank You Tour,” a move many interpret as strategic groundwork to consolidate influence ahead of future internal contests.
The speculation has further intensified following the rising political profile of his son, Charles Asiedu Nketia, who some believe is being positioned within the party’s evolving power structure.
Meanwhile, the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has publicly rejected any attempt to amend Ghana’s Constitution to allow Mahama a third term.
Speaking recently at the 31st December Revolution Anniversary celebrations in Ada, Greater Accra, Kwetey condemned the growing chorus of party loyalists promoting a “third term plan,” branding them as sycophants and bootlickers driven by selfish interests rather than party ideology.
He reminded supporters that even the late founder of the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings, was never encouraged to extend his tenure beyond constitutional limits, insisting that the party must remain committed to democratic succession.
Yet despite Kwetey’s strong words, the internal atmosphere remains tense.
The Ministers and senior officials believed to have presidential aspirations are now caught in limbo—unable to organise openly, uncertain about Mahama’s final intentions, and increasingly anxious that time is slipping away as 2028 draws closer.
Party insiders describe a situation where ambition is simmering beneath the surface but suppressed by presidential authority, creating an unusual political paralysis within government circles.
Even within internal party platforms, aspiring figures who had promised to engage supporters and outline visions for the future have reportedly backed off, unable to proceed with campaigns that could be interpreted as defiance of the President’s warning.
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