Tamale Central seat: ‘Let us not rush in choosing a successor’ — Asiedu Nketia

National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has called for restraint and unity among party members as the search begins for a replacement for the late Tamale Central legislator, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed.

Speaking at the Adua funeral rite for Dr Murtala on Tuesday, August 12, Mr Asiedu Nketia praised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its decision not to field a candidate in the by-election, describing it as a demonstration of political maturity in the face of national tragedy.

“We thank our brothers in the NPP for declaring that they will not contest us in Tamale Central. Now the challenge is ours, whether we will fight among ourselves over who should replace Murtala. On behalf of the party, I want to say, let us not rush in choosing his successor,” he told the gathering, urging NDC supporters to avoid the kind of infighting that could weaken the party’s standing in the constituency.

The NPP, in a statement issued on Monday, August 11, explained that its withdrawal was intended to prevent heightened political tension while the nation is in mourning. The Tamale Central seat has been a stronghold for the NDC, and the decision by the main opposition to stand down is widely seen as a rare gesture of cross-party respect.

Dr Murtala Mohammed, who served as Minister for Environment and was a vocal advocate for social justice and development in the north, died on August 6 in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District. The crash also claimed the lives of Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, three other senior officials, and three military crew members.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dr Murtala was laid to rest alongside former Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, at the Forecourt of the State House. The burial was attended by President John Mahama, the Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament, the National Chief Imam, and several other dignitaries.

A state funeral for all eight victims of the crash will be held at the Black Star Square on Friday, August 15, 2025.