The National Democratic Congress (NDC) didn’t take back power in 2024 by luck. It was a comeback built on broken trust, palpable hardship, and a promise that many Ghanaians thought had slipped away. Now, with the current President unable by constitutional term limits to run again, the party must select someone who can carry forward more than just a slogan. Ghana demanded a reset. That demand was answered. But the work has only just begun, and choosing the next leader might be the most critical decision the NDC makes in this RESET era.
HOW THE NDC RETURNED: A QUICK TIMELINE
Over the years before 2024, inflation soared, the cost of living ballooned, and many ordinary Ghanaians felt squeezed. The handling of national debt and the IMF programme under the previous government left many voters feeling that the state had lost its grip on delivering stability. These were not abstract issues, food, transport, utilities, people saw and felt them daily. Analysts reported that economic hardship was the major factor in the NPP’s steep fall in popularity.
Into that void stepped the NDC with a message many saw as direct, urgent, and hopeful. They didn’t just promise change, they promised to reset. To renegotiate burdensome debt, rebuild public institutions, relieve oppressive costs, restore stability. The narrative resonated with people tired of being blamed for problems they didn’t create.
The NDC held its flagbearer primary in May 2023 and delivered a near-overwhelming result for its chosen candidate. It cleared internal challenges early, competitors dropped out, delegate votes overwhelmingly in favour. That unity helped focus energies outward, toward the people, rather than inward toward party infighting.
The NDC didn’t just rely on its traditional strongholds. It made gains in the Northern Region, Ahafo, Bono regions. Regions that had drifted or stayed neutral. It also benefitted from failures in strongholds of the ruling party: in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central and Eastern Regions, votes fell sharply for the NPP. Many swing areas that had once been difficult became battlegrounds won through promises about living costs and essential services.
The NDC built a ground game. Community networks, youth mobilisation, raising awareness about economic issues, being visible in everyday hardship. When people saw gesturing politicians, they saw ones who sounded like they understood suffering. The discontent over food prices, fertiliser, public services, and debt repayment were harnessed carefully by the NDC in their campaign.
On 7 December 2024, Ghanaians delivered. John Mahama (NDC) won 56-57% of the valid vote; the NDC secured a huge parliamentary majority while the NPP dropped sharply. The message to Ghana: the people had had enough, and they placed trust in the promise of RESETTING Ghana.
WHERE THE PARTY STANDS NOW
Because of constitutional term limits, the current President can’t run again in 2028. That means the NDC must find a successor who doesn’t just preserve what 2024 brought but builds on it. The RESET Agenda must continue, not be paused or derailed.
Here’s what is at stake:
● People voted for change. If the transition from one leader to the next looks messy, divided, or self-serving, voters will remember.
● Economic recovery, institutional reform, improved living costs all are being watched. It is not enough to promise; people expect delivery.
● The wins were possible because the NDC closed ranks early, mobilised constituencies, and had agreement at many levels. The next leader must maintain that unity, avoid factional splits, balance regional sensibilities, and lead with fairness.
WHAT THE NEXT FLAGBEARER MUST BE
From how the NDC won, we can see what works. From what is needed going forward, certain qualities should be non-negotiable in the next flagbearer:
● Someone who has been in opposition and in governance, someone with knowledge of party structures, who is in touch with the grassroot and also understands government business. Someone who knows how things are done, and what can go wrong.
● Someone who knows what it takes to deliver on promises, not just campaign speeches.
● Voters in 2024 punished perceived corruption and broken promises. The next leader should have credibility: they must have shown, over years, that they put the public interest ahead of personal gain.
● The NDC won because it appealed across demographics, across regions, across old divides. Youth, women, rural and urban voters all matter. Someone who can speak to all of them and bring them together.
● Someone that is both local and regional in reach. Someone who listens to the concerns on the street, but also thinks big: economic policy, foreign relations, debt, investment.
THE ONE WHO FITS WITHOUT NAMING
There is, in the party right now, somebody who checks almost every box above. This is a person the party needs to find. Someone who has held leadership roles through many seasons, both high and low. They are deeply involved in the everyday mechanics of the NDC, and are known for pulling the party together when it was scattered. Their credentials are such that many who know the party believe they are the safest choice to keep the RESET Agenda alive.
THE NEXT DECISION IS MOMENTOUS
The 2024 election didn’t just give the NDC power; it gave it opportunity. An opportunity to fulfil promises, to restore faith, to improve lives. But opportunity without direction can slip away. The next flagbearer is about who can guard the RESET Agenda, who can finish what was begun.
The history of the NDC has many leaders; some rose suddenly, some steadily. This moment calls for steadiness. This moment demands someone who has earned the trust, who has built the structures, who has proven they can lead in both good times and bad. If the NDC picks the right leader, not only will it stand a strong chance of winning in 2028, but it will also deepen the hope of the thousands who voted in 2024 believing that Ghana could be reset.
Article By: Emmanuel Yaw Dogbatsey
