The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has questioned why President John Dramani Mahama is allegedly allowing growing internal power struggles and presidential ambitions within his government.

According to him, some government appointees are already positioning themselves for future presidential ambitions barely a year and a half after the party won power, a situation he believes is creating divisions and affecting the work of government institutions.

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Speaking on Pan African TV on May 14, 2026, Pratt said the early presidential ambitions are encouraging factionalism within government and hindering effective governance.

“Anybody who declares that he wants to be presidential candidate starts on the path of building a faction because it is A vs B vs C vs D. That already implies factionalism and it’s building up fast, only one and half years after winning elections.

“It’s sickening, dirty, nauseating and I wonder why President Mahama continues to allow this to happen. I can’t believe it,” he said.

He further alleged that rivalry among some government officials is affecting the work of state institutions and agencies.

“I have ears that hears some things. Today if you go into the government machinery, some departments, agencies are not working well. Do you know the excuse they give? They are not getting financing for a project because the finance minister is interested in becoming president and because he knows he won’t be supported, he doesn’t want them to succeed. It’s all over the place,” he revealed.

Pratt questioned why such developments are being tolerated within government if the administration intends to succeed.

“How do you tolerate that in government if you want to succeed?” he queried.

He also claimed that despite public appearances of unity among government officials, there is deep mistrust and competition among them.

“The buddy-buddy things you see where ministers talk to each other are all superficial because deep down everybody has a dagger ready to stab each other to become president,” Pratt alleged.

The veteran journalist further questioned the competence of some individuals he claims are nursing presidential ambitions.

“Quite frankly, some of the people who want to become president, look at them, do they look like president? Do they have the capacity to be president? What is this rubbish and it’s happening all the time,” he asked.

He further suggested that President John Dramani Mahama is struggling to control the situation within his government.

“And he's sitting there being held hostage and he's not been able to crack the whip. And they're dancing around him in circles and making nonsense of all the proclamations he has made,” he added.

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Pratt’s comments follows a warning issued by the Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Ccongress (NDC) Mustapha Foyo Gbande to some party members over a seeming subtle campaign to back their political ambition.



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