The atmosphere inside the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is filled with uncertainty as the party’s National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, prepares to embark on a three-day “Thank-you tour” in the Eastern Region.
The tour, which runs from today Wednesday September 17 to Friday September 19, 2025, will cover 16 constituencies. According to party officials, the idea is to express gratitude to the grassroots, cadres, and executives who worked tirelessly to return the NDC to power in the 2024 elections.
But not everyone is convinced by that explanation.
Sceptics say this is not just about saying thank you, but also about planting seeds for a future flag-bearer ambition.
They suggest that the branded appreciation program is already hinting at presidential ambition, saying it could be the beginning of a long campaign towards election 2028.
Back-to-Back Tours
The timing of the program has raised eyebrows, mainly because the incumbent president, John Dramani Mahama, had already toured the country just two months earlier, in July 2025 on his own “Thank-you mission.” For many within the party, one tour was enough. Their point is simple: when two “Thank-you tours” come back-to-back, one starts to look like a rehearsal for something bigger.
“This is about optics and positioning. By moving around the country under the NDC banner, Chairman Nketia is effectively testing the waters and cementing his presence in constituencies ahead of 2028,” one Eastern Regional party source explained.
At the Jubilee House, the atmosphere is said to be tense. Sources close to the Presidency are not amused. To them, the government’s focus should be on governing, fixing the economy, creating jobs, and delivering on promises. The fear is that another tour shifts attention away from governance but rather towards succession politics barely one year after victory.
“Whatever the fortunes of the NDC will be in 2028 depends squarely on government performance now. For the next two years at least, all focus should be on delivery, not campaign maneuvering. Chairman Nketia’s tour risks becoming a distraction,” a source close to the Presidency emphasized.
But Asiedu Nketia himself, in a recent interview with Accra FM’s Kwabena Bobie Ansah said the focus, as at now, should be on achieving good governance and all presidential ambitions should be shelved.
“We are a party in government, and we must focus on delivering on the massive mandate Ghanaians gave us during the December 2024 elections… Any distraction from that mission will hurt not just our performance but also our chances in 2028. Our faith is firmly linked to John Mahama’s success,” Asiedu Nketia noted when he appeared on the show.
He continued: “The time will come when the party will open nominations and allow for leadership contests…But for now, we have work to do. Let’s put our shoulders to the wheel and deliver for the Ghanaian people.
“If the Party delivers, choosing a flag-bearer for the 2028 general elections will be a smooth and easy process. But the essence of becoming a flag-bearer means little if the party fails in government”, Asiedu Nketia added
Packed Agenda
Despite the controversy, the tour is pressing on with a busy itinerary: Wednesday, September 17, 2025: Asuogyamang, Lower Manya, Upper Manya, Yilo, and Okere.
Thursday, September 18, 2025: Akuapem North, Akuapem South, Nsawam, Upper West Akim, and Asamankese.
Friday, September 19, 2025: Akroso, Achiase, Swedru, Akim Oda, Kade, and Akwatia.
At every stop, rallies, closed-door meetings, and grassroots engagements are expected. Chiefs, assembly members, former party officers, branch executives, and groups like the Drivers’ Union are all on the guest list.
For years, Asiedu Nketia has been a kingmaker in the NDC. Known widely by his nickname “General Mosquito,” he has built a reputation as a strategist, a survivor, and a voice feared by opponents. Now, his name is being whispered in the corridors of power not just as a chairman but as a possible presidential candidate.
With Mahama unable to run again after 2028, the stage will soon open for a successor. Nketia’s tour may be the first sign that he wants to step out of the backroom and onto the front line. Already, the whispers have grown louder: is this really about gratitude, or is Ghana watching the quiet first steps of “Asiedu Nketia for President”?
