Haruna Iddrisu, Muntaka Dropped From Mahama’s Campaign Team

The National Democratic Congress has unveiled its national campaign team for the upcoming 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, sidelining former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and former Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, further deepening cracks within the party ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The announcement, made by Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, NDC General Secretary, followed a Functional Executive Committee meeting that finalized the team on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. The absence of the two close allies, who were removed from their leadership positions in Parliament in a degrading manner, has set tongues wagging in the party.

Sources indicate that the two were initially penciled in to be part of the team but were dropped at the last minute over allegations by some associates of John Dramani Mahama, the party’s flagbearer, that the two are “haters” who would not work in the interest of the NDC flagbearer.

However, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader who replaced Mr. Iddrisu in what political watchers have described as a ‘coup d’état,’ has been given a special place in the campaign team, which also includes the party’s general secretary as the Campaign Coordinator. Also conspicuously missing from the campaign team are some key leaders of the party who openly challenged the Rambo-style replacement of Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka.

It would be recalled that the change in the leadership of the Minority Leader did not sit well with many in the party and sparked protests, even among some MPs. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, MP for Tamale Central, openly chastised the party leadership, and some MPs, including Samuel Nartey George, demanded the suspension of the decision.
A meeting held in Tamale to resolve the cracks in the party resulted in an assault on Sofo Azorka, the National Vice-Chairman, and the Regional Treasurer, while Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s National Chairman, who was also at the meeting, had to be whisked away to safety.

As a form of protest against the perceived mistreatment of the Tamale South MP, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, along with Alhassan Suhuyini and Alhassan Bashir Alhassan (ABA) Fuseini, MPs for Tamale Central, Tamale North, and Sagnarigu, respectively, together with Haruna Iddrisu, boycotted the meeting.