Asiedu Nketiah Was Prevented From Moving To Canada By Mahama, Bagbin, And Others.

Had it not been for the intervention of certain senior figures, the trajectory of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah’s journey within the National Democratic Congress and Ghana’s political landscape would have been markedly different today.

In a conversation with Captain Smart on Onua TV, the current National Chairman of Ghana’s leading opposition party revealed that he had been swayed from his intention to relocate to Canada and continue his banking career after completing three parliamentary terms in 1992, 1996, and 2000.

“After serving 12 years [in parliament], I decided that I’m done with parliamentary duties and I’m moving abroad to pursue further education, obtain a PhD, and return to my business roots. So, my wife had already gone to Canada and I was here with the children, arranging to join her, under the impression that my parliamentary journey was over,” he recounted.

Asiedu Nketiah recounted that influential figures within the NDC, including former President John Dramani Mahama, current Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, former Speaker Edward Joe Adjaho, Collins Dauda, and Enoch Teye Mensah, who were his parliamentary colleagues, played a pivotal role in deterring him from his plans.

“During that time, my colleagues, including President Mahama, Bagbin, who is the current Speaker, Speaker Adjaho, ET Mensah, Collins Dauda, and several others—about 10 in total—convinced me not to go. The party was facing disunity, and they wanted a unifying figure as the general secretary. They saw me as the suitable candidate to unite the party for victory, so they opposed my travel plans,” he revealed.

Amidst a period of party discord prior to a general election, Asiedu Nketiah shared how his colleagues orchestrated a campaign that led to his election as the third General Secretary in the NDC’s history during a party congress in December 2005.

“It was during a time when Rawlings and Dr. Obed Asamoah were in conflict, and there was intense friction. They required a unifier as the general secretary to steer the party toward victory, and they viewed me as that person. Thus, they thwarted my plans to travel. I explained that my wife had already left, but they insisted that she stay and that I assume the role of general secretary. I expressed concerns about funding my campaign, and they assured me they would campaign on my behalf. Following prolonged discussions, I ultimately had to abandon my original plan,” he recounted.

Having served as the General Secretary of the NDC for 18 years and becoming the longest-serving political party general secretary in Ghana, Asiedu Nketiah went on to secure a landslide victory over the then-incumbent, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and was elected National Chairman of the party in December 2022.

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