Kwesi Pratt 'tears into' Agric Minister over presidential ambition comments

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has criticised the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, over comments suggesting he is ready to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and contest for the presidency if given the opportunity.

According to Pratt, the minister’s remarks amount to an act of indiscipline, especially at a time when party leaders have urged members to focus on the government’s agenda rather than succession politics.

Speaking on Pan African TV on June 4, 2026, Pratt said he was disappointed in Eric Opoku’s comments.

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“I have a lot of pity for Eric Opoku. He is sweaty; he has done terribly,” he said.

Pratt recalled a recent statement issued by the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, cautioning political actors against engaging in premature succession discussions.

“Eric Opoku, Minister of Agriculture, was in this country when Callistus Mahama, Executive Secretary to the President, issued the statement on people peaking before their time,” he stated.

He said he had no doubt that the statement reflected the position of President John Dramani Mahama.

“I was left in no doubt at all that Callistus was speaking for the President. That voice was the voice of President John Dramani Mahama,” he said.

Pratt further disclosed that the issue was discussed at a meeting attended by senior figures of the NDC, including members of the party’s Council of Elders.

“Only a couple of days ago, the Council of Elders of the party, and I’m informed that even people like Ato Ahwoi, who is not so well thought, that it was so important that they all attended this meeting. Doe Adjaho were all in this meeting,” he said.

According to Pratt, President Mahama was present at the meeting where a decision was taken for party members to focus on governance and the NDC’s reset agenda.

“The President sat in the meeting and they took a decision that people should hold on with their reckless ambitions and focus attention on the reset agenda of the National Democratic Congress,” he stated.

He questioned why Eric Opoku would publicly express presidential ambitions shortly after the meeting.

“Then immediately after, Eric Opoku jumps up and says, ‘I am ready to be president.’ This is an act of indiscipline which should not be tolerated at all,” he said.

Pratt urged the President to take decisive action, arguing that warnings alone are no longer sufficient.

“We have passed the stage of admonitions and pleadings. The time has come to crack the whip, and I’m waiting to see what President Mahama will do,” he added.

He also cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example of a leader who acted against ministers who failed to follow directives.

“We have had presidents before. President Kufuor, when he appealed to his ministers and told them to stop misbehaving and focus on the agenda and they refused, he kicked them out,” Pratt said.

The comments come after Eric Opoku, in an interview on Asempa FM on June 2, 2026, said he was open to leading the NDC and the country if party members considered him the best person for the job.

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“I’m open to any good thing politics gives me. I came into politics with the commitment to serve,” he said.

The minister explained that his focus has always been on solving problems and delivering results wherever he has been assigned responsibilities.

“So if today the party members believe that I’m the best person to lead the party and the country, I am willing to,” he added.

MAG/MA

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