Discussion on Mahama’s third term at this time is a distraction – Ayine 

Early conversations within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) about who succeeds President John Dramani Mahama risk diverting attention from governance, Attorney General Dominic Ayine has warned.

Dr. Ayine said the administration’s priority must remain delivering on promises to Ghanaians, particularly as President Mahama completes his first year in office and government programmes begin to take root.

“I am more interested in working to be a good Attorney General and serving the people of this country. I am not very keen on who succeeds the President,” he said in an interview on Bolgatanga-based A1 Radio.

The Attorney General, who also represents Bolga East in Parliament, described the growing speculation as unnecessary and poorly timed, stressing that President Mahama deserves the space to continue governing without internal political distractions.

“In fact, it is not something I think about regularly because I believe it is a distraction. The President has done just one year. We should allow him to continue working,” he added.

Dr. Ayine argued that internal power discussions undermine the government’s social contract with citizens, who are more concerned about improved living conditions than party succession debates.

“We should be more interested in the welfare-enhancing programmes of the government than in who is going to succeed His Excellency,” he stated.

Addressing the process for selecting a future flagbearer, Dr. Ayine said ambition must follow the NDC’s constitutional structures rather than informal campaigning.

He outlined a clear sequence of internal elections that must take place before any presidential contest is entertained.

“At the appropriate time after we have conducted our party elections and selected our branch, constituency, regional, and national executives, then those who wish to contest can come forward,” he said.

He explained that the party is expected to begin with branch-level elections, followed by constituency and regional polls, before convening a National Delegates Congress to elect national officers, a process that naturally precedes any flagbearership race.

Dr. Ayine urged party appointees and loyalists to invest their energy in supporting policy implementation and public sector reforms rather than positioning for the 2028 elections.

With 2026 projected as a critical year for domestic revenue mobilisation and economic stabilisation efforts, he maintained that government performance, not internal jockeying, will ultimately shape public judgment.

According to him, the real test for the administration will be whether its policies translate into tangible improvements in livelihoods, public services, and economic security for ordinary Ghanaians, rather than the volume of internal political speculation.