Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has disclosed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), while in opposition, deliberately planned to frustrate the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during its time as the parliamentary Minority.
Mr Iddrisu made the revelation in a statement featured by Ghana Today on August 14, 2026, in which he reflected on the NDC Minority’s approach to constitutional and governance matters during the Akufo-Addo administration.
According to the statement attributed to the Education Minister, the NDC Minority was particularly opposed to aspects of the Akufo-Addo administration’s agenda involving the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
“We planned as a minority to frustrate President Akufo-Addo’s government, especially when he wanted us to elect MMDCEs,” Mr Iddrisu was quoted as saying.
He further said he personally wanted to be remembered for challenging what he regarded as constitutional issues under the former administration, while acknowledging Akufo-Addo’s legal background.
“Personally I wanted to be popular because history will record me the person to have challenged a brilliant constitutional lawyer like President Akufo-Addo on constitutional matters,” the statement attributed to him said.
Mr Iddrisu, however, added that he would not wish for similar tactics to be deployed against the current NDC administration.
“But I wouldn’t wish same is done to the NDC government,” he was quoted as saying.
Political strategy and constitutional disagreements
The comments highlight the intense political and constitutional disagreements that characterised relations between the NDC Minority and the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The proposed election of MMDCEs was one of the major constitutional and decentralisation issues debated during the Akufo-Addo administration. The government pursued changes that would have enabled Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to be elected rather than appointed under the existing constitutional framework. The proposed reforms eventually faced strong opposition and were withdrawn from Parliament in 2019.
At the time, Mr Iddrisu, then Minority Leader, was among those who challenged aspects of the government’s approach, including the constitutional process surrounding the proposed changes.
His latest comments therefore offer a retrospective account of the political calculations behind the NDC Minority’s opposition to the Akufo-Addo administration.
Haruna Iddrisu now serves as Education Minister
Mr Iddrisu is now Ghana’s Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama. Ghana News Agency reports that he has been leading government initiatives in education, including reforms aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education and improving skills development.
His political career has included several senior parliamentary and ministerial positions. He previously served as both Majority and Minority Leader in Parliament and also held ministerial responsibilities under earlier NDC administrations.
The latest remarks are likely to attract renewed attention to the political strategies employed by both the NDC and NPP when operating on opposite sides of Ghana’s Parliament.
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