Mustapha Gbande says President Mahama has ‘no time’ for NPP’s third-term claims as government focuses on repairing inherited national crisis

Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has dismissed suggestions from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that President John Mahama is eyeing a third term, insisting the Presidency is fully occupied with what he describes as the urgent task of fixing the country’s problems.

Speaking on PM Express, Mr Gbande, who also serves as Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the government remains guided strictly by constitutional limits.

He argued that the administration’s attention is consumed by the severity of the situation it inherited from the Akufo-Addo government.

He described an intense workload on the President and his appointees, stating that the demands of governance have left senior officials with little rest. According to him, ministers are experiencing similar pressure, with party leadership acknowledging the difficulty of reaching them due to their schedules.

Mr Gbande emphasised that the NDC’s leadership is united behind the President and unfazed by criticism from the NPP’s parliamentary front.

He dismissed commentary from Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, saying it will not distract the government.

He revisited his longstanding reservations about the judiciary under former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, insisting his concerns were based on principle rather than politics.

He said a prior committee process examining a petition against her leadership validated the issues he had raised.

While defending the credibility of other former Chief Justices, including Sophia Akuffo, whom he praised for her integrity and performance, he maintained that Justice Torkonoo did not meet the same standard in the public eye.

Mr Gbande further accused Afenyo-Markin of deepening the controversies surrounding Justice Torkonoo, arguing that his conduct politicised matters and worsened public perceptions. He said this, rather than partisan criticism, contributed most to the challenges she faced in office.