Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has warned senior members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against what he describes as premature efforts to position themselves as successors to President John Dramani Mahama.
Reports indicate that key figures, including Chief of Staff Julius Debrah and NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, are quietly preparing for the party’s next presidential primaries.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on September 23, Ambassador Smith said such early manoeuvres risk distracting the government from its development agenda.
“It’s normal for them, maybe they are trying to prepare the ground for themselves, I don’t know. But I personally think that talks about preparing to replace John Mahama is too early because we haven’t even done one year since coming to office,” he stated.
He cautioned that these succession activities could derail the administration’s focus on delivering President Mahama’s policies and programmes.
“They have taken off too soon. If too many people are entering the thing right now, then instead of focusing on building this nation or pursuing the agenda of John Mahama, we will be disturbing people with that campaign,” Smith warned.
Ambassador Smith urged NDC members to rally behind President Mahama and allow him to fully execute his mandate before engaging in any conversations about leadership succession.
