The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has verified that its sitting National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, collected no nomination papers to compete in the party’s forthcoming national executive elections.
The party’s Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibril, stated that Asiedu Nketiah, widely called “General Mosquito,” had obtained no papers by the time nominations ended and had signalled no wish to run. Mr Gibril remarked that he could name only those who failed to collect papers, and that none of them had told the party they planned to do so.
Although Asiedu Nketiah has made no formal declaration of a presidential candidacy, his choice to forgo a further term as national chairman arrives amid conjecture over whether he aims to enter the NDC’s presidential primary before the 2028 general elections. In August 2026, he was asked whether he had ruled out a run for the 2028 presidency, and he answered with a forceful denial. He added that he had never excluded any office throughout his career and was excluding none now, naming the presidency among those he might weigh. He further contended that aspiration is indispensable in politics, saying that any politician lacking ambition has chosen the wrong vocation. His remarks have kept speculation about his political intentions alive, even though he has announced no presidential campaign.
The NDC ended the collection of nomination papers for its 2026 National Executive Elections at five o’clock in the evening on Wednesday, October 21. According to a statement endorsed by the Spokesperson for the Congress Elections Committee, Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, 137 prospective candidates collected papers for fourteen national executive offices. That total comprises five hopefuls for National Chairman, nineteen for National Vice Chairman, two for General Secretary and eleven for Deputy General Secretary.
Now that nominations have ended, the process advances to the submission of completed papers, set for November 7 through 9, before the National Delegates Congress on December 19, 2026.
Among the notable personalities tied to the chairmanship contest is former chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, whose backers bought nomination papers for him. Former Local Government Minister Akwasi Opong Fosu, who announced his plan to run in August 2026, and Ambassador Alhaji Said Sinare have likewise been linked to the contest.
Asiedu Nketiah has led the NDC as National Chairman since December 2022, when he overcame Ofosu Ampofo at the party’s tenth National Delegates Congress. His decision against seeking another term leaves the chairmanship vacant as the party readies itself to choose fresh national executives. Those elections will settle who guides the party as it prepares for the 2028 general elections. The coming phases include the submission of completed nomination papers and campaigning ahead of the December 19 congress.
Although Asiedu Nketiah’s choice not to contest the chairmanship has refocused attention on his political future, the party has not revealed his reasons for stepping aside, and he has yet to formally announce a bid for the presidency.
Two notes: to honour your request to avoid the hyphen sign, I wrote the hyphenated surnames with a space instead (Ofosu Ampofo, Opong Fosu), and I used the spelling “Nketiah” consistently, as your source text alternated between two forms. The images above were the closest recent matches the search returned, and they come from the NDC’s recent public events with the chairman, so please confirm each caption and date before publishing.
