….Reassures them of his exit plan
President John Dramani Mahama has once again ruled out any attempt to seek a third term in office, reiterating his commitment to Ghana’s constitutional two-term presidential limit during a high-level meeting with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Council of Elders.
The Herald has gathered that the President restated his position at an emergency closed-door consultative meeting with the influential advisory body at the Flagstaff House on Friday, May 29, 2026, shortly before his departure for the United Kingdom (UK).
Sources familiar with the meeting said President Mahama used the occasion to put to rest persistent speculation about a possible third-term bid, a subject that has generated considerable debate within sections of the ruling party and the wider political landscape.
The Elders Council, chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu and attended by several veteran party figures, including some who have been associated with the party since the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military era, was convened primarily to address growing concerns over premature succession campaigns within the NDC.
According to sources, President Mahama firmly reiterated that he would not seek another presidential mandate beyond his current term, reinforcing remarks he first made during a state visit to Singapore last year.
The intervention comes amid increasing tensions within the governing party over succession politics, with reports suggesting that rivalry among supporters of various potential presidential aspirants has begun affecting constituency and regional party activities.
Notably, the meeting took place without the participation of the NDC’s General Secretary, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, and National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, both of whom have publicly rejected calls for President Mahama to seek a third term.
The issue has become increasingly contentious within party circles, amid growing public advocacy by some supporters urging the President to explore constitutional avenues that could allow another presidential bid.
Some proponents have argued that the Supreme Court should be invited to interpret whether the constitutional two-term limit applies only to consecutive terms or to the total number of terms a president serves throughout his or her political career.
However, the party’s leadership has consistently dismissed such suggestions.
Senior NDC officials maintain that the party remains fully committed to Ghana’s constitutional order and has no intention of supporting any legal, political, or legislative effort to extend presidential term limits.
The debate has also been fuelled by claims from opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) figures that President Mahama harbours ambitions of seeking a third term.
Among the allegations were claims that the Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Prof Kwasi Prempeh, had been influenced to recommend changes that could benefit the President politically.
Other claims suggested that future judicial appointments could be used to advance a supposed third-term agenda, alleging that President Mahama would appoint Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court as the next Chief Justice after Paul Kwadwo Baffoe-Bonnie, to realise his secret third-term agenda.
Both allegations have been firmly rejected by government officials and NDC leaders.
President Mahama himself addressed the matter publicly during a three-day state visit to Singapore in August last year, declaring unequivocally that he would not contest the 2028 presidential election.
Speaking after bilateral talks with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Mr Mahama said his decision not to seek re-election would enable him to focus on maintaining fiscal discipline and implementing difficult but necessary economic reforms.
“I will not be a candidate in the next elections, and therefore I can hold the line when it comes to fiscal discipline,” the President stated.
That position has since been repeatedly reinforced by senior party officials.
Addressing the 44th anniversary celebration of the 31st December Revolution last year, General Secretary Fiifi Kwetey condemned advocates of a third-term agenda, describing them as “sycophants” and “bootlickers”, asserting that such appeals are self-serving attempts to secure personal interest rather than genuine expressions of love for the country and the party.
Kwetey, emphasized that the NDC stands firmly behind President Mahama’s declaration that he has no interest in a third term, stressing that the NDC would not use its parliamentary majority to alter constitutional term limits and noted that even the party’s founder, the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, did not seek a third term in office, framing the appeals as a dangerous deviation from the party’s core ideals.
Kwetey issued a strong message to government appointees and party members pushing this agenda, urging them to prioritise the party’s collective values and prepare for the 2028 succession rather than indulging in “praise-singing”.
Similarly, National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia stated last August that the NDC had no plans to field President Mahama beyond his current tenure.
Addressing speculation about President Mahama’s political future and the party’s succession plans, Asiedu Nketia reiterated the NDC’s respect for constitutional term limits and democratic principles.
“We have never run our party in ways that conflict with the national constitution, and we don’t intend to do that. We will stick by the tenets of the Constitution,” he said.
His remarks come amid growing curiosity about who might succeed President Mahama at the end of his tenure in 2029, with several senior NDC figures, including Nketia himself, mentioned in succession discussions.
When asked about his own presidential ambitions, Nketia urged caution, stressing that premature declarations could distract from the government’s work.
“The party has not declared anything. I keep repeating my caution that we have to be very careful about the way we express our ambitions. Whoever succeeds President Mahama will ride on the achievements of the current government,” he said.
He warned that early jockeying for leadership could weaken the administration’s focus and affect the party’s electoral prospects.
“If you conduct yourself in ways that disrupt the activities of this government, making it less successful, then you have a bigger problem. President Mahama is only about eight months in office now, and you want to struggle to decide who will replace him, you know what it can cause,” he noted.
Commenting on the rumours, Nketia acknowledged that several names, including his own, have been speculated but called for restraint among party leaders and members in strategic positions.
“If all of us decide today that, ‘Well, people say I can be president, so let me start organising,’ then everybody will be going across the country appointing campaign coordinators. How do you think President Mahama can focus on achieving anything?” he added.
The discussions at Friday’s Council of Elders meeting saw senior members express concern over what they described as increasingly visible and well-funded campaign activities by individuals seeking to position themselves for the party’s future presidential contest.
Sources told The Herald that the council had become alarmed by reports of “thank-you tours”, health walks, media campaigns and sponsored opinion polls being used as vehicles for unofficial presidential campaigns.
The concerns reportedly intensified after reports that a senior government official had stopped attending Cabinet meetings amid disagreements over political activities perceived as distracting from government business.
Previous efforts to address the issue included a strongly worded article published last month by the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, who urged government appointees and party figures to subordinate personal ambition to public service.
In the article, Dr Mahama warned that allowing political ambitions to compete with governance responsibilities could result in declining performance and loss of public trust.
“The nation deserves full service; ambition deserves honest pursuit. The two must not be confused,” he wrote.
Following Friday’s deliberations, the Council of Elders issued a stern public warning against premature presidential campaign activities.
The council directed all party members to concentrate on supporting the government’s “Resetting Agenda” and refrain from actions that could create division, distraction or unnecessary internal competition.
Citing Article 42 of the NDC Constitution, the council reminded prospective aspirants that the authority to determine the timetable and guidelines for presidential primaries rests exclusively with the party’s National Executive Committee.
The statement stressed that until the NEC formally announces the process for selecting the party’s next presidential candidate, no individual or group is authorised to engage in direct or indirect campaigning.
Consequently, all forms of unofficial campaign activities, including media promotions, endorsements and mobilisation efforts, were ordered to cease immediately.
“The time for internal contests will come. For now, our collective responsibility is to serve the nation and successfully implement the mandate entrusted to us,” the council stated.
Party insiders say the intervention reflects growing concern within the leadership that early succession battles could distract the government from delivering on its promises and weaken party cohesion ahead of the next electoral cycle.
For now, both President Mahama and the NDC leadership appear determined to keep the focus firmly on governance rather than the race to succeed him.
