Good governance advocate, Listowel Nana Poku, has cautioned members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) against blindly defending the party and its officials, warning that such behaviour could eventually lead the party down the same path that contributed to the NPP’s defeat.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s “Adekyee Mu Nsem” programme in Accra on Monday, August 31, 2026, Listowel Nana Poku said partisan politics is important in a democratic system because it helps produce capable leaders such as President John Dramani Mahama, but party loyalty should not prevent members from speaking out when things are going wrong.
He said the NDC must learn from the mistakes of the previous government and ensure that constructive criticism is welcomed rather than suppressed.
According to him, education is the foundation of the country, and the government must therefore pay serious attention to challenges affecting teachers, non-teaching staff and other workers within the education sector.
He said the NDC came into office with a promise to reset the country and must therefore perform better than what it inherited from the previous administration.
«“It is not as if I hate anyone. We want things to go well. We preach about resetting the country, so we have to do it better than what we inherited.”»
He warned that if party supporters blindly defend government officials whenever problems arise, the NDC could eventually find itself in the same situation as the NPP.
«“Partisan politics is a good thing. It helps produce intelligent people like John Mahama to come and be the head of this country. But we should not follow blindly. If somebody does something bad and we don’t talk about it, it will lead the NDC to where the NPP went.”»
He said the NPP was criticised while in government but failed to listen to some of the concerns raised by Ghanaians, eventually resulting in voters rejecting the party at the polls.
Teachers’ Promotion Examination
Listowel Nana Poku described the delays surrounding the promotion examination for teachers as a serious matter that requires urgent attention.
According to him, teachers were originally expected to write the promotional examination in September, but the examination was postponed until December.
He said the teachers had already paid money and prepared themselves for the examination, only for the process to be delayed.
He questioned why teachers had to wait several months after writing the examination before receiving their results.
According to him, approximately 8,000 teachers applied to write the promotion examination, with about 6,000 passing and 2,000 failing.
He said the prolonged delays in conducting the examination, releasing the results and subsequently promoting successful candidates could create unnecessary frustration among teachers.
«“Why is it that for the first time teachers were going to write the examination in December instead of September? Why? And why did it take five months to give them their results?”»
He attributed the delays to what he described as incompetence within the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, insisting that the government must be bold enough to acknowledge problems when they occur.
«“There’s an incompetence. Let’s say it as it is. If it were somebody else, we would say it, so let’s not hide things. If we hide things, we will fail.”»
He stressed that teachers form a significant section of Ghana’s workforce and therefore cannot be taken for granted.
«“Teachers in Ghana are about 400,000. Four hundred thousand people can change a government in a day. That is why I’m talking, because if we let teachers become angry, we can’t stand it.”»
Criticism of Haruna Iddrisu
Listowel Nana Poku was particularly critical of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, although he insisted that his criticism was not motivated by personal hatred.
He said Haruna Iddrisu remains one of his favourite politicians but argued that the Education Ministry must be held accountable for challenges under its watch.
«“Everyone knows that Haruna Iddrisu is my favourite man. So, if you raise an issue concerning an important aspect of the life of Ghana and people want to trivialise it to suit some people, the issues I have raised are grave issues. We have to deal with them.”»
He said because the Education Ministry falls under Haruna Iddrisu, the minister must take responsibility for problems within the sector.
«“I’m being very constructive because he is not doing his work. He is the minister, and that is why the bus stops at him.”»
He, however, clarified that he does not necessarily believe Haruna Iddrisu is incompetent as a person, suggesting that his strengths could perhaps be better utilised in another ministerial portfolio.
«“It’s not as if I hate Haruna. He can be a square peg in one hole. Maybe the work he doesn’t know how to do here, if he goes somewhere else, he can know how to do it.”»
He added that he would continue to criticise the minister whenever necessary, even if the minister became unhappy with him.
«“I don’t care if Haruna will be angry with me. The only way to solve the problem is to take one problem away.”»
Teachers’ Licensure Examination
Listowel Nana Poku also renewed his criticism of the teacher licensure examination, arguing that the NDC promised while in opposition to scrap the examination and incorporate the assessment into the final examination process.
He said the government must remain consistent with the promises it made to teachers and ensure that policies affecting them are reviewed where necessary.
He also questioned why individuals who were critical of the previous administration remain in certain positions under the current government.
Specifically, he questioned the continued stay in office of Christian Adjei Poku, whom he identified as a director of the National Teaching Council (NTC) and former NAGRAT President.
According to Listowel Nana Poku, Christian Adjei Poku was among those who criticised the Mahama administration while the NDC was in opposition, and he questioned why he remains in office under the current government.
He said the NDC criticised similar situations while in opposition and should therefore ensure that its actions in government are consistent with the principles it previously defended.
“Mahama Cannot Do Everything”
Listowel Nana Poku said President Mahama cannot personally supervise every ministry and therefore appointed ministers to address specific challenges within their sectors.
Using the power crisis as an example, he said Ghanaians previously blamed President Mahama for problems with electricity supply, but the President could not simultaneously serve as both Vice President and a sector minister responsible for solving every problem.
He argued that the same principle applies to the current government.
«“Mahama cannot be Vice President and at the same time be a minister. He appointed Haruna and gave him the Education Ministry to solve the problems there. He didn’t say go and double the problems.”»
He therefore urged the Education Ministry to focus on resolving existing challenges rather than allowing them to worsen.
Listowel Nana Poku said the NDC must not repeat the mistakes of the NPP and must take legitimate concerns from teachers and other stakeholders seriously.
He maintained that constructive criticism is not an attack on the government but a means of helping the administration deliver on its promises and fulfil the expectations of Ghanaians.
He warned that if the government ignores legitimate concerns and allows frustration to build among teachers and other public-sector workers, it could have serious political consequences for the NDC.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah
Ahotoronline, Accra
