Senior party figures and analysts agree the path to victory runs through unity, governance performance, and a yet-to-be-determined candidate — but warn that cracks are already showing within government ranks.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is barely months into its return to power, yet the conversation about 2028 has already begun in earnest. On the airwaves of TV3’s KeyPoints last Saturday, three voices — a party-aligned CEO, a deputy minister, and a political analyst — painted a picture of a party that is confident but cautious, ambitious but alert to the dangers of complacency.
The Three Ms: Message, Machinery, Messenger
National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Godwin Edudzi Tameklo opened the discussion with characteristic NDC confidence. In his view, whoever the party elects as flagbearer for 2028 will win — provided three fundamentals are in place.
“The NDC’s future will be hinged on the ability to have a great message, machinery and messenger going into the 2028 elections,” Tameklo told KeyPoints.
For Tameklo, the early crop of names circling the flagbearer conversation already possess these qualities. His optimism, however, is not unconditional — it rests squarely on the party getting its internal architecture right before the next campaign cycle begins.
Additionally, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and renowned conflict resolution expert Emmanuel Bombande struck a more measured tone, steering the conversation away from personalities toward institutional process. For Bombande, the manner in which the NDC selects its next flagbearer will matter as much — if not more — than the individual ultimately chosen.
“The NDC is going to win the 2028 elections not just based on who is elected flagbearer, but by the process of electing,” he said. “When you have a process not well thought through, you could be elected flagbearer but will run into challenges. The process must be so fair that nobody will complain.”
Bombande also introduced an element of unpredictability into the emerging flagbearer conversation, cautioning against reading too much into early polls and media tracking.
“It is possible that some who have never been polled will be elected,” he noted. “It is possible that some of the people polled or tracked will not win.”
Beyond process, the Deputy Minister flagged governance delivery as the other defining variable. The performance of the Mahama administration between now and 2028, he argued, will shape the party’s electoral fortunes as decisively as any internal contest.
Warning Shots: Ministers Out of Touch, Team Players in Short Supply
The sharpest assessment of the evening came from Mussah Dankwah, Executive Director of Global InforAnalytics, who offered an unsentimental diagnosis of what ails some within the current administration.
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Dankwah warned that several ministers and government appointees have become detached from the NDC’s grassroots base — a critical liability for any aspirant hoping to win over party delegates.
“There are ministers who are out of touch with the grassroots; they are jets focusing on what they are doing,” he said pointedly.
More damaging still, in his assessment, is the quiet sabotage playing out within government circles.
“Not everybody in the government is a team player,” Dankwah observed. “There are people in government who are fighting against the same government.”
For a party that prides itself on collective discipline, such internal friction is a warning signal the NDC’s leadership cannot afford to ignore.
Dankwah’s formula for flagbearer success was blunt: serve the government well, stay connected to the grassroots, and let the record speak.
“If you serve well, you will be deemed to be a good servant. The performance of ministers will determine the outcome of the NDC flagbearer race,” he said.
He also addressed sceptics who have questioned the credibility of his firm’s polling methodology, pushing back firmly:
“A lot of things have been said about our polls, but we always get it right. We know what we are looking for.”
The Clock Is Ticking
Despite the intensity of speculation, the NDC has yet to formally open nominations for the flagbearer contest. The party’s internal calendar remains unannounced, and Bombande’s remarks suggest the leadership is in no rush to shortcut a process it views as central to maintaining unity.
For now, the consensus among all three panellists is clear: the road to 2028 begins not with a candidate, but with performance. As Dankwah put it plainly — “For John Mahama and his party, they have to perform in office. If they fail to perform in office, they will not have a chance in the 2028 elections.”
The NDC may be confident. But confidence, these voices agree, must be earned — one delivered promise at a time.
Credit: TV3, Ghana