Andrew Appiah Danquah, the Head of Legal of the United Party (UP), has told the NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah the party did not win the 2024 election because of their Parliamentary leadership change.
The UP man disclosed that the ruling NPP government was a key factor in the party’s victory in the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the NPP’s bad governance won the NDC the election and not the party’s decision to carry out a major leadership reshuffle in Parliament.
Andrew Appiah Danquah argued that the 2024 election outcome was largely influenced by public dissatisfaction with the performance of the then Akufo-Addo administration.
He maintained that it was governance, rather than parliamentary reshuffles, that led to the NDC’s decisive electoral win.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, May 23, Andrew Appiah Danquah stated, “I think it is important that we recognise that the last election was lost because of terrible governance. Whichever party gives terrible governance will lose elections… I know a lot of NPP people who voted for His Excellency John Mahama”.
His comments come in response to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who claimed that the party’s sweeping victory in the 2024 general elections was due to the change in parliamentary leadership structure.
The NDC Chairman, in a viral video, has shed more light on the internal discussions that led to the removal of former Minority Leader of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu and Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, from their leadership.
According to Asiedu Nketia, the NDC won the 2024 elections because the Minority leadership changed.
He disclosed that he told the then-former President Mahama that they needed to change the forward line of Parliament, but he disagreed with me.
According to him, he had to assume the role of a “coach” of the party heading into the polls, adding that there was initial disagreement from President John Dramani Mahama over the proposed changes.
Speaking during his “Thank You” tour in a viral video, Asiedu Nketiah explained, “I said we had to change the forward line of Parliament; otherwise, it would be difficult for us to win the election. President Mahama disagreed with me, but I said, ‘Look, you elected me as chairman of this party. I am the coach of the party going into the election, so allow me to make the changes that will help us win. When we win, we will all enjoy together”.
“Then I made the changes. I made my brother, Haruna, and Muntaka step aside, and people started thinking that someone who has been my friend for more than 20 years had suddenly become my enemy. He can never become my enemy. But I am a coach, and I must study how our opponents are playing so I can properly arrange my team for victory.
“When we made the rearrangement and went into the election, the victory the NDC achieved in 2024, have you seen such a victory in Ghana since the beginning of the Fourth Republic? We won. After the victory, I told President Mahama that we could not ignore Muntaka and Haruna in the formation of our government, so they needed to be given major positions. Mahama agreed, and they were given those positions,” he stated.
He further urged party members to avoid internal factionalism saying, “And now we are all working together. So if people in Tamale are forming groups such as Haruna group, Asiedu Nketiah group, and so on, that is your own issue in Tamale; it is not our issue”.
It will be recalled that ahead of the 2024 general elections, the NDC in 2023 reshuffled its parliamentary leadership.
The entire Minority leadership team, led by Haruna Iddrisu, was changed with the party describing the move as s a broader restructuring exercise from the grassroots to the national level.
A letter dated January 23, 2023, communicated to Parliament, announced Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, MP for Ajumako Enyan Essiam, as Minority Leader, replacing Haruna Iddrisu, while Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle, took over as Deputy Minority Leader from James Klutse Avedzi. Kwame Agbodza was also appointed Minority Whip, with Ahmed Ibrahim and Comfort Doyo Ghansah serving as First and Second Deputy Whips.
Watch the video below:
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Chairman of the NDC, says the party’s 2024 election victory was partly driven by deliberate changes to its parliamentary leadership to improve electoral competitiveness.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) May 22, 2026
He said the 2023 reshuffle of the Minority leadership, which replaced Haruna Iddrisu… pic.twitter.com/hcnE5iAlI3
