Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, Mussa Dankwa, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding comments by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah over the removal of Haruna Iddrisu and Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka from the NDC parliamentary leadership.

Speaking on The Big Issue on May 23, 2026, Dankwa said the matter remains politically sensitive within the NDC and could have implications for future internal contests ahead of the 2027 or 2028 political cycle.

According to him, Asiedu Nketiah’s explanation for replacing Haruna Iddrisu with Cassiel Ato Forson as Minority Leader was initially tied to the NDC’s strategy of focusing on the economy ahead of the 2024 elections.

“He said the economy was going to be at the forefront of that election and he wanted Ato Forson, being the ranking member on the Finance Committee, to take over leadership in order to push that economy issue,” Dankwa explained.

However, he noted that the changes did not sit well with everyone within the party.

Dankwa further argued that Asiedu Nketiah may have “over-explained” himself during his recent comments in Tamale, thereby creating room for different interpretations and speculation.

You can’t predict 2028 from 2026 polls – Mussa Dankwah explains

“He could have stopped and just given a reason and leave it there. Less is more in political circles. I think he had to explain himself but as to whether he had to do that at the time and in Northern Regions, I'm not sure that it is politically clever.

“…to me as a watcher of politics, or as a pollster, knowing what I know; to have responded and I'm told that the response was before a chief who is either the big brother of the honorable Haruna Iddrisu, so that's what I've been told, I don't know if it's true. Does he not owe the people of Tamale South an explanation as to why their member of parliament who was leading the party in Parliament and was suddenly removed?” he asked.

The pollster added that some interpretations of Asiedu Nketiah’s remarks could create the impression that President John Dramani Mahama was initially unwilling to appoint Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka to government positions until he (the NDC chairman) intervened.

Dankwa cautioned that such narratives could deepen political tensions within sections of the party, particularly in the Northern Region where Haruna Iddrisu maintains significant influence.

VPO/EB