The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has warned members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) against what he describes as a growing and premature scramble over the party’s future flagbearership, cautioning that it risks distracting the government from its developmental responsibilities.
In an interview with Bolgatanga-based A1 Radio, Dr. Ayine, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bolga East, said early succession talk could weaken the administration’s ability to deliver on its social contract with Ghanaians. He called on party faithful and government appointees to channel their energies into governance rather than focusing on the 2028 elections.
His comments come as President John Dramani Mahama completes the first year of his current term. While the government is pushing an economic reset agenda, discussions about potential successors have already begun surfacing within NDC circles.
Dr. Ayine described such manoeuvres as ill-timed, stressing that the President needs a calm and stable political environment to effectively implement his mandate.
He noted that his priority remains serving diligently as Attorney General rather than engaging in succession politics, which he believes is a needless distraction at this stage of the administration.
As a senior legal mind within the party, Dr. Ayine emphasised that individual ambition must give way to the NDC’s established structures and constitutional processes. He reminded aspiring flagbearers that the party’s constitution outlines a clear sequence of internal elections before any flagbearership contest can take place.
According to him, the party must first complete branch-level elections, followed by constituency and regional executive processes, and then convene a National Delegates Congress to elect party leadership before opening the door to flagbearer contests.
He further stressed that ordinary Ghanaians are more interested in how government policies improve their daily lives than in internal party power struggles.
With 2026 expected to usher in intensified domestic revenue reforms, Dr. Ayine said the true measure of the government’s success will be the tangible impact of its welfare-enhancing programmes, not debates over who succeeds President Mahama.
