{"id":47967,"date":"2025-12-04T11:39:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/?p=47967"},"modified":"2025-12-04T11:39:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:39:59","slug":"okudzato-and-haruna-clash-over-ndc-vice-presidential-slot-as-internal-tensions-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/2025\/12\/04\/okudzato-and-haruna-clash-over-ndc-vice-presidential-slot-as-internal-tensions-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Okudzato and Haruna Clash Over NDC Vice-Presidential Slot as Internal Tensions Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A heated political storm is brewing within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as two of the party\u2019s most influential figures\u2014Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Haruna Iddrisu\u2014are locked in an intense behind-the-scenes contest to become the running mate to the NDC\u2019s flagbearer, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, for the 2026 general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subtle Public Exchanges Reveal Deep Internal Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rivalry spilled subtly into public view over the past month through contrasting speeches delivered by the two senior MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About four weeks ago, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu delivered a high-profile speech centered on values, discipline, and moral conduct, using students\u2019 hairstyle choices as an example of moral decline. His message stressed that Ghana\u2019s youth must embrace discipline and traditional values to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, just last week, during the Presec Legon Speech and Prize Giving Day, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa offered a contrasting message. Without mentioning Haruna directly, Ablakwa argued that the nation\u2019s focus should be on attitude, innovation, and modern competitiveness, rather than what he described as \u201coutdated moral policing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political observers say these speeches were more than policy commentary\u2014they were coded public markers in the escalating battle for who becomes Prof. Jane Naana\u2019s running mate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regional Politics at Play<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contest has deepened because of long-standing regional expectations within the NDC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ablakwa\u2019s Case: \u201cIt Is Time for a Voltarian Vice President\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ablakwa, from the Volta Region, has strongly hinted that the party must correct what many Volta supporters see as a historical imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being the NDC\u2019s most loyal and consistent voting bloc, the Volta Region has not produced a vice president in the party\u2019s history\u2014apart from the era of Jerry John Rawlings, who served as head of state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ablakwa is said to be making the argument that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The Volta Region has earned its place at the highest level of the ticket.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Picking a Voltarian running mate will energize and reward the base.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2026 presents the perfect moment for that shift.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Haruna\u2019s Case: \u201cThe Northern Tradition Must Continue\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Haruna Iddrisu argues the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For him, the NDC has always performed strongly when it maintains the Northern-Ghana power balance on its ticket. With Naana Opoku-Agyemang coming from the Central Region, Haruna believes that choosing a Northern running mate is the party\u2019s best strategic path to securing votes across the Northern Belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Haruna\u2019s supporters emphasize:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • His strong political machinery in the Northern Region,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • His long-standing party loyalty,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • His national recognition and fundraising capacity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      They insist that only a Northern running mate guarantees the party\u2019s electoral strength in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Growing Internal Division<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      NDC insiders confirm that the competition has created two powerful internal camps\u2014the Ablakwa bloc and the Haruna bloc\u2014each mobilizing members, regional executives, and opinion leaders ahead of the party\u2019s internal decision-making processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Some party elders fear that if the issue is not handled carefully, it may deepen divisions at a critical moment when unity is essential against the ruling government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Others believe the competition is healthy and will ultimately produce the strongest ticket for the 2026 elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      With Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang yet to announce her running mate officially, the internal lobbying is expected to intensify in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For now, the political messages disguised as moral and attitudinal debates are becoming the stage on which this high-stakes vice-presidential battle continues to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Nsemgh.com will continue to follow this developing story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A heated political storm is brewing within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as two of the party\u2019s most influential figures\u2014Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Haruna Iddrisu\u2014are locked in an intense behind-the-scenes contest to become the running mate to the NDC\u2019s flagbearer, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, for the 2026 general elections. Subtle Public Exchanges Reveal Deep Internal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":18576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,1],"tags":[474,10632,7960,5593,6693,9375,913,13076,423,5103,8660,8057,192,2264,12149,1430,7734,4786,701,2402,281,7964,2807,67,1137,5424,11112,3805,11377,12631,4197,8459,11304,972,10041,7972,8840,6047,12524,11957,12632,2802,11634,1808,594,5784],"class_list":["post-47967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-ablakwa","tag-attitude","tag-case","tag-central-region","tag-congress","tag-decline","tag-democratic","tag-discipline","tag-education","tag-education-minister","tag-essential","tag-fear","tag-ghana","tag-government","tag-haruna-iddirusu","tag-haruna-iddrisu","tag-jane","tag-john-rawlings","tag-legon","tag-mps","tag-ndc","tag-north","tag-northern-region","tag-nsemgh","tag-nsemgh-com","tag-politics","tag-presec","tag-president","tag-presidential","tag-prof-jane-opoku-agyemang","tag-rawlings","tag-rivalry","tag-running-mate","tag-samuel-okudzeto-ablakwa","tag-speech","tag-storm","tag-strong","tag-students","tag-ticket","tag-unity","tag-vice-present","tag-vice-president","tag-volta","tag-volta-region","tag-who","tag-youth"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47968,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47967\/revisions\/47968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}