Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Victor Smith, has indicated that it is too early for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be discussing who will replace President John Dramani Mahama after his tenure.

Smith believes that the government under President Mahama's leadership has not even completed one year of its four-year mandate, hence expressed concern over the sudden talks of his replacement.

Asiedu Nketiah explains rationale behind his 'Thank You Tour'

Providing further insight, Smith referenced the constitutional timelines outlined for both the ruling and opposition parties to elect their next flagbearers.

He noted that as the ruling government, they have up to three years to choose their candidate before the 2028 general elections.

“… I personally think that, the talk about preparing to replace John Mahama is too early because we haven't even done one year coming to office.

“And my understanding is that, according to our constitution, if we're in office, we choose our flagbearer a year before elections. When we're in opposition, we do it two years before [elections] so you can imagine what John Mahama has gone through,” he said in an interview on Channel One on September 23, 2025.

The ambassador further highlighted the potential risk such actions could pose to the government, stating that they could create distractions.

He added that early discussions about a replacement could shift people's attention to political campaigns, diverting focus from nation-building and potentially derailing the president’s 'resetting agenda'.

“They're taking off too soon. If too many people enter the thing [flagbearer race] right now, then instead of us focusing on building this nation, of pursuing the agenda of the vision of John Mahama, we'll start disturbing the (sic) and people are now campaigning instead of [building the nation],” he concluded.

'Asiedu Nketiah doesn’t look the part for presidency' – Martin Kpebu

His comments follow criticisms directed at the NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah for initiating the recent nationwide 'Thank You' tour.

The tour, however, has been speculated by some individuals to be a campaign gimmick.

MAG/VPO

Watch the latest Health Focus on PCOS below