Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has dismissed claims that President John Dramani Mahama has decided not to seek a third term in office, insisting that such a decision has not been communicated to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Gbande said President Mahama had not informed the party that he was no longer interested in contesting another election, despite reports suggesting that he had made such comments.

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According to him, decisions on such matters are not made outside the party, and he questioned where the President was reported to have made the statement.

“Where did he say it? Where did he say it? The President doesn’t speak to the party outside the party boardroom. So we are party executives; if the President wants to tell us or announce his intention to us, he will go to South Korea and say it there, and then we take it?” he questioned.

Gbande stressed that President Mahama was elected through the NDC and that the party would have a say in any decision regarding a possible third-term bid.

“The President didn’t make himself. The party made him. He is a leader of the party. That [third-term] conversation, I have indicated many times, is not a conversation for anybody. It is a conversation for a certain class of individuals,” he stressed.

He further stated that President Mahama works closely with the party in making major decisions.

“President Mahama doesn’t control us; we control him. He is our leader; he is the leader of the party. What the party says, plus what he thinks, is what takes place. He’s tired, but we are not there yet. The man is just two years in power,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, President Mahama has said Ghanaians gave him a mandate to serve one additional term and that he remains focused on fulfilling the promises he made to the people.

Speaking at the Ho Technical University on Friday, July 17, 2026, President Mahama said although some individuals have gone to the Supreme Court seeking clarity on the relevant constitutional clause, he believes the provision is clear.

“The people of Ghana gave me a mandate for one term, and I am working hard to meet the promises I made to them. I know that people have gone to the Supreme Court seeking an interpretation of the clause that governs the tenure of the President.

“If you ask my personal opinion, I thought that it was clear enough. I have read it over several times. It is exactly what it says, but if they want to ask the Supreme Court, that is their business,” he said.

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President Mahama added that his priority remains delivering on the trust placed in him by Ghanaians.

“I know that the people of Ghana gave me one additional term, and I am going to work to meet the trust that they put in me,” he stated.



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