Managing Editor of The Informer newspaper, Andy Kankam, has blamed independent polls on the NDC’s future flagbearer race for what he describes as growing tensions and unhealthy competition among government ministers.
According to him, the constant publication of surveys by various pollsters projecting different personalities as frontrunners is creating unnecessary divisions within government and distracting officials from their core responsibilities.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, June 5, Kankam questioned the credibility and impact of such polls, arguing that they are encouraging ministers to focus on political positioning rather than governance.
“That is why I don’t believe in these polls. Every day, a different minister is being told he is leading, and it only creates confusion,” he stated.
Recent polls have produced contrasting outcomes, with some naming Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson as the leading contender, while others have tipped NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia or Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu as favourites in a future flagbearer contest.
Kankam suggested that the projections are influencing how some ministers conduct themselves in office, as they seek to build political capital ahead of any internal party race.
He pointed to the ongoing disagreement between the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture over budget releases as an example of what he described as damaging public clashes within government.
“The clash between the Finance Minister and the Agriculture Minister is a grand deception that is not good for governance,” he said.
The disagreement erupted after the Finance Ministry announced that it had released more than GH¢1.6 billion to the Agriculture Ministry, representing about 85 percent of its allocation for goods, services and capital expenditure.
However, the Agriculture Ministry has challenged the figures, insisting they do not reflect its official budget execution records. While the Finance Ministry maintains that all payments were processed and documented through the GIFMIS platform, the Agriculture Ministry argues that the records remain inconsistent.
The public dispute has intensified scrutiny of coordination within government, amid increasing speculation over potential contenders for the NDC’s future leadership.
