Eric Opoku Breaks Silence on Links to NDC Flagbearership: "God Has a Way of Choosing Leaders"
- Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has left the door open on his ambitions to succeed President John Mahama as NDC flagbearer
- Opoku has also said he remains focused on his mandate as the minister for food and agriculture
- Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu leads the field of potential successors to President Mahama
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Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has spoken on possible ambitions to become the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2028 election.
He told Accra FM he would be keeping his cards close to his chest on the matter.
Source: Facebook
Class FM reported that Opoku, also the MP for Asunafo South, said he would "cross the bridge when the time comes."
He also suggested that spiritual providence and the grassroots of the party will play a role in his final decision.
"God has a way of choosing leaders for the NDC over the years, and if that favour falls on me, why not? I will gladly accept it."
"Sometimes, when leaders are chosen, some may dislike the decision, but it becomes what everyone must rally behind to win the next election."
"If the party's grassroots decide I should lead them, I will lead them."
In the meantime, he said his focus was on his mandate within the governance framework and ensuring the success of Ghana's agricultural sector.
The leading contenders for the NDC flagbearership
With the NDC in the unique position of having an incumbent who, for the first time, will not be seeking reelection, pollsters and analysts have culled names expected to feature prominently in the governing party's flagbearer race.
Drawing on polling data from Global InfoAnalytics, the five leading candidates in the race are Haruna Iddrisu, the current education minister; Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC national chairman; Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; Julius Debrah, the current chief of staff; and Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Source: Facebook
President John Mahama is currently in his second term as president, but just as he was the first incumbent president to lose an election in 2016, he will also be the first president to exhaust his presidential term limits without being in power for two consecutive terms.
What else does polling say?
Global InfoAnalytics polling from June indicated that of those who voted for Mahama in the 2024 elections, 30% preferred Iddrisu, 22% preferred Nketia, 24% preferred Forson, 8% preferred Ablakwa, and 3% preferred Klottey Korley MP Zenator Agyemang-Rawlings.
However, among voters who did not disclose who they voted for in the 2024 elections, 30% backed Haruna, 15% supported Nketia, 24% supported Forson, 10% supported Debrah, and 12% supported Ablakwa.
Similarly, for those who did not vote in the 2024 elections, 19% preferred Haruna, 23% preferred Nketia, 18% preferred Forson, 18% preferred Debrah, 15% preferred Ablakwa and 5% preferred Agyemang-Rawlings.
For NDC voters who did not vote in 2024, 28% are backing Haruna, 26% are backing Nketia, 9% support Forson, 19% support Debrah, 13% support Ablakwa and 2% would vote for Agyemang-Rawlings.
Prophet predicts Asiedu Nketia to be president
YEN.com.gh reported that Prophet Telvin Sowah, a popular Ghanaian pastor, shared a prediction concerning Ghana's next election.
During an interview on Accra FM, the preacher predicted that Nketia would succeed the current President.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
