The decision of Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the ruling party, to go on a “thank you tour” around the nation has caused tongues to wag within the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Party insiders claim that Mr. Asiedu Nketiah is using the visit as a covert way to express his appreciation to the NDC’s members and to quietly begin his presidential campaign in the run-up to the general election in 2028.
The NDC national chairman is rapidly outpacing other prospective presidential candidates in the party’s next presidential contest, which is referred to as “the early bird catches the worm.”
Since President John Dramani Mahama will be completing his second term on January 6, 2029, and is constitutionally prohibited from running for president again, the NDC is accepting new candidates for the 2028 presidential election.
The governing party, which has just been in power for nine months, is enraged by Mr. Asiedu Nketiah’s announced thank-you trip, which is perceived as a covert early presidential campaign.
Critics of the NDC have argued that the three-day event, which begins with the Eastern region on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, is primarily an attempt by the national chairman to set himself up for a future presidential run.
On behalf of the NDC, the tour, which will take place in 16 constituencies in the Eastern Region from September 17 to 19, 2025, is being formally announced as a follow-up gratitude effort.
Party officials claim that this is intended to honor the executives, cadres, and grassroots organizers who put in countless hours to help the NDC win the general election in 2024.
However, party gurus and people close to the presidency are treating this explanation with extreme skepticism, seeing it as a campaign tour by Asiedu Nketiah, who has made no secret of his desire to become president before the 2028 elections.
The controversy is mostly rooted in the fact that, just two months prior, in July 2025, former President Mahama, who guided the NDC to victory in 2024, had already finished a lengthy nationwide “thank-you tour.”
Because of this, many party leaders believe that another appreciation tour is not only superfluous but also politically dubious.
One Eastern Regional NDC source told reporters that “This is about optics and positioning. By moving around the country under the NDC banner, Chairman Nketiah is effectively testing the waters and cementing his presence in constituencies ahead of 2028.”
According to information obtained, the “thank you tour” has also caused a stir within the Presidency, as several high-ranking government officials believe the tour took place at the wrong moment.
They stated that rather than considering succession politics just a year into its tenure, the NDC government’s top priorities should be stabilizing the economy and keeping campaign pledges.
According to a Jubilee House source, Chairman Nketiah’s tour runs the risk of becoming a drag. “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 Nketiah’s tour risks becoming a distraction.”
Information gathered indicates that this difference in priorities is escalating a long-simmering conflict and creating a breach between the party leadership and the presidency, which is raising fears of internal divisions.
Itinerary of the tour is listed below:
Source: newsthemegh.com