Attorney General Dominic Ayine Weighs in on NDC Flagbearer Race Speculation: “It is a Distraction”
- The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has spoken on discussions within the National Democratic Congress over its flagbearership
- Ayine wants NDC stakeholders and government appointees to focus on delivering on governance priorities
- The Attorney General addressed the flagbeareship during an interview on Bolgatanga-based A1 Radio
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The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has described ongoing discussions within the National Democratic Congress over flagbearership as a needless distraction.
According to the Attorney General, the focus of both government appointees and party members should be on delivering on governance priorities rather than engaging in premature succession debates.
Source: Facebook
Speaking on the matter in an interview on Bolgatanga-based A1 Radio, Ayine, who is also the Bolga East MP, stressed that President John Mahama has only completed one year in office and should be allowed to focus on his mandate without unnecessary political speculation.
Mahama is currently in his second term as president, but just as he was the first incumbent president to lose an election in 2016, he will also be the first president to exhaust his presidential term limits without being in power for two consecutive terms.
“The President has done just one year. We should allow him to continue working. At the appropriate time, after we have conducted our party elections and selected our branch, constituency, regional, and national executives, then those who wish to contest can come forward.”
He added that discussions about succession should only begin when the party is institutionally prepared for that phase.
The leading contenders to replace Mahama
In the race to replace Mahama, pollsters and analysts have culled names expected to feature prominently in the governing party's flagbearer race.
Drawing on polling data from Global InfoAnalytics, the five leading candidates in the race are Haruna Iddrisu, the current education minister; Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC national chairman; Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; Julius Debrah, the current chief of staff; and Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Source: Facebook
What else did polling from 2025 say?
Global InfoAnalytics polling from June 2025 indicated that of those who voted for Mahama in the 2024 elections, 30% preferred Iddrisu, 22% preferred Nketia, 24% preferred Forson, 8% preferred Ablakwa, and 3% preferred Klottey Korley MP Zenator Agyemang-Rawlings.
However, among voters who did not disclose who they voted for in the 2024 elections, 30% backed Haruna, 15% supported Nketia, 24% supported Forson, 10% supported Debrah, and 12% supported Ablakwa.
Similarly, for those who did not vote in the 2024 elections, 19% preferred Haruna, 23% preferred Nketia, 18% preferred Forson, 18% preferred Debrah, 15% preferred Ablakwa and 5% preferred Agyemang-Rawlings.
For NDC voters who did not vote in 2024, 28% are backing Haruna, 26% are backing Nketia, 9% support Forson, 19% support Debrah, 13% support Ablakwa and 2% would vote for Agyemang-Rawlings.
Asiedu Nketiah urged to shelve presidential ambition
The Krontihene of Akyem Asuom, Nana Boadi Amponim Obo-dade III, had urged Nketiah to withdraw from the NDC flagbearer race to preserve party unity.
He described Nketiah as the new "family head" of the NDC following the passing of John Jerry Rawlings.
In a video on TikTok, the chief warned that internal competition could divide the ruling party and hurt its chances of defeating the NPP in the 2028 election.
Eric Opoku speaks on NDC flagbearership links
YEN.com.gh also reported that the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, had left the door open to contesting to become the NDC flagbearer.
Despite his acknowledgement, Opoku also stated that he remained focused on his current mandate as a minister.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
