“This is the only time NDC will have a real contest for succession of leadership”

Paul Adom-Otchere, host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, has described the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) upcoming leadership race as the party’s first-ever real contest for presidential succession since its formation in 1992.

According to him, the NDC’s flagbearer slots over the years have been largely uncontested, starting with Jerry John Rawlings in 1992, John Evans Atta-Mills in the 2000 and 2004 elections, and John Dramani Mahama from 2012 through to 2024.

“Look at the history, this will be the first time that the NDC is going into a real presidential contest. Never, never, never gone to it before, since ’92.

“Atta-Mills did a few contests, but he was winning by 80-something percent. Mahama also faced no real competition in all his bids. This is the first and only time the NDC is going to have a real contest for succession of leadership.”

Speaking on his show on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Adom-Otchere argued that unlike the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the NDC has historically witnessed little or no internal competition in selecting its presidential candidates.

The upcoming race is expected to feature Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu.

Adom-Otchere contrasted this with the NPP, which, he said, has had several intense internal battles, including the hotly contested 1998 race that produced John Agyekum Kufuor, the 2007 contest involving Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and most recently the 2024 flagbearership race between Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong.

He suggested that the NDC’s upcoming succession contest marks a historic departure from its usual practice of rallying around a clear frontrunner, and would test the party’s ability to manage internal competition.

Adom-Otchere hinted that he intends to chronicle Ghana’s political succession battles in an upcoming book, stressing that the NDC’s looming race will be remembered as a watershed moment in the country’s political history.