The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has issued a strong rebuke to party members advocating for President John Dramani Mahama to seek a third term in office, describing the campaign as self-serving, sycophantic and fundamentally at odds with the party’s founding values.
Speaking at the 44th Anniversary celebration of the 31st December Revolution at the Asafotufiam Park in Ada on Wednesday, December 31, Mr. Kwetey reaffirmed that the NDC remains firmly committed to constitutional term limits and would not support any attempt by a president to govern beyond two terms. He added that President Mahama himself has no intention of seeking an extension.
“One of the mantras of this party is that we will never be part of any agenda to allow a president to run for a third term,” he said. “President Mahama has no such intention, and the NDC will not support it.”
Mr. Kwetey said growing calls for a third term were not motivated by principle, but by what he described as a rise in political sycophancy within the party.
“It saddens me when I see so much sycophancy creeping into our party,” he lamented. “Some people think that singing the praises of a leader is the only way they can survive politically. That is why you hear these calls for a so-called third term. It is nothing but pure sycophancy and bootlicking of the highest order.”
He cautioned that such conduct undermines the values of the NDC, urging members to place national interest, party unity and principle above personal ambition.
Referencing the legacy of the party’s founder, the late Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, Mr. Kwetey noted that he was never pressured to remain in office beyond his constitutional mandate.
“When President Rawlings led this country, nobody demanded a third term for him,” he stated. “If you truly love this country and this party, you will not engage in this behaviour. This party was not built on praise-singing for personal gain.”
He added that President Mahama was serving diligently within his mandate, stressing that leadership is temporary but the ideals of the party endure.
“Cadres will go, cadres will come — but the great NDC and the revolution has come to stay,” he said.
Mr. Kwetey concluded by reaffirming the NDC’s commitment to democratic governance and constitutionalism, warning that loyalty to individuals must never supersede loyalty to the party and the nation.
