Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has disclosed that more than 60 percent of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCE) nominees presented by the party were approved unanimously by their respective assemblies, with a rejection rate below 2 percent.
He revealed this while reflecting on what he described as a reformed and transparent selection process the NDC employed for MMDCE nominations in 2025, marking a departure from past approaches.
“In the past six months, I think I spent three months participating or chairing the committee that interviewed about 800 applicants for the position of MMDCEs. We advertised within the party across the country, so in every district, people applied. And I know in some districts, more than 20 people applied”
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC
Describing the effort that went into the appointments, Asiedu Nketiah explained that more than 2,000 applications were received from across the country following an internal advertisement. The pool was screened down to over 800, from which 261 final nominees were selected after an exhaustive vetting and interview process.
According to him, the selection process moved beyond loyalty or political longevity. After the initial shortlisting at the regional level, to three people per district, the names were forwarded to Accra where additional evaluations were conducted.
“We subjected the shortlist to opinion polls by established pollsters in the various districts – and so they ranked them according to the order of merit”
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC
In addition to polling data, the NDC engaged the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to carry out background and security checks. “They also produced a report,” he said. “Alongside the two reports, we also had recommendations from the regions after their screening.”
These, combined with the face-to-face interviews conducted by the national committee, allowed the party to rely on four separate sources of assessment before making a final decision on each nominee.
“And I’m happy that so far – the approval process seems to have vindicated our choices. More than 60% of our nominees were approved with 100% endorsement by the assemblies. So far, the rejection rate is less than 2%”
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC
Inspired by Past Mistakes
Asiedu Nketiah was candid in admitting that this was the first time the party had applied such a meticulous method. “When you do the same thing over the years, out of experience, you can add improvements,” he said, emphasising the number of times he had been involved in the process in the past.
He pointed to lessons learned from the New Patriotic Party’s MMDCE appointment process during their tenure in government, as an indicator of the tension, impositions, and political chaos that the NDC could suffer if it was not meticulous in its own process.
“The approval processes of the President’s nominees during the NPP era, in my view, contributed significantly to their defeat.
“It was violent in certain situations – people were imposed on the assemblies, doors were shut, MPs were thrown out, people with dissenting views were not allowed to participate – it brought some problems in their party at the district level”
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC
He added that the NDC’s decision to overhaul its internal selection system was also informed by a signal from President John Dramani Mahama that the current round of MMDCE nominations might be the last directly conducted from the presidency.
While most of the appointments have been confirmed, a few remain in limbo. “I think about two have not been announced yet and that is from the presidency,” he stated, explaining that the process is always subject to presidential approval and in this instance, two or three out of the 261 remain to be confirmed.
“They have to take an opinion on whether to accept our results or not, whether to tamper with it, and so on.” Additionally, he mentioned that three nominees who did not succeed in the first round would have another opportunity. Beyond that number, “all the 255 or so have been done, finished,” he announced proudly.
Chairman Asiedu Nketiah expressed overall satisfaction with the results and highlighted the approval as a validation of the party’s rigorous process.
The initiative, in his view, has not only ensured greater accountability but has also insulated the party from local-level discontent, positioning the NDC on firmer political footing heading into the next election cycle.
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