National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has disclosed that the controversial reshuffle of the party’s parliamentary leadership ahead of the 2024 elections was a calculated political gamble designed to secure victory — a strategy he now says delivered one of the biggest electoral wins in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Speaking in Tamale, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the NDC deliberately changed its “forward line” in Parliament because the party believed maintaining the old structure could have weakened its chances in the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the decision to remove the then Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and his leadership team in 2023 was not driven by personal differences but by electoral strategy and political calculations aimed at repositioning the party for power.
“New things were emerging and I said that we have to change the forward line of Parliament otherwise it will be difficult for us to win the election,” he stated.
The reshuffle, announced in January 2023, replaced Mr Haruna Iddrisu with Cassiel Ato Forson as Minority Leader, while Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Kwame Governs Agbodza assumed key leadership positions in Parliament.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah admitted the decision triggered intense internal tensions and widespread speculation about divisions within the NDC, especially given his longstanding relationship with Mr Haruna Iddrisu.
“There was hell and people started thinking that somebody who has been my friend for more than 20 years has suddenly become my enemy,” he revealed.
He, however, insisted the restructuring was purely tactical and formed part of broader reforms stretching from the grassroots to the national level.
The NDC Chairman also disclosed that although President John Dramani Mahama initially disagreed with aspects of the proposed changes, he eventually accepted the strategy after internal consultations.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said after the NDC’s victory, he personally advised President Mahama to reintegrate experienced figures such as Haruna Iddrisu and Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak into top government positions to preserve party unity and strengthen governance.
Both men were later appointed ministers in the new administration.
He argued that the election outcome vindicated the controversial decisions, describing the NDC’s 2024 performance as one of the strongest electoral victories since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
“We went into the election, and we won. Have you seen such victory in Ghana since the beginning of the Fourth Republic?” he asked.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah further cautioned party supporters against factionalism and internal camps forming around personalities within the NDC.
“If you are forming groups—Haruna groups, Asiedu Nketiah groups—that is not our case. The NDC will continue to be one,” he stressed.
His comments provide the clearest indication yet that the NDC leadership viewed the parliamentary reshuffle as a high-risk but necessary political strategy aimed at rebuilding momentum, consolidating party control and positioning the party for electoral dominance in 2024.
