Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has warned senior figures in the NDC against rushing to position themselves as successors to President John Mahama.

Reports suggest that Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and other influential party members have begun subtle campaigns ahead of the party’s next presidential primaries.

Speaking on Channel One TV on September 23, Ambassador Smith described such moves as premature and distracting.

“It’s normal for them, maybe they are trying to prepare the ground for themselves, I don’t know. I personally think that talks about preparing to replace John Mahama is too early because we haven’t even done one year since coming to office,” he said.

Smith warned that early succession moves could derail the government’s focus on development.

“They have taken off too soon. If too many people are entering the thing right now, then instead of us focusing on building this nation or pursuing the agenda of John Mahama, we will be disturbing people with that campaign,” he stressed.

He urged party members to allow President Mahama to complete his mandate before entertaining discussions about who should lead next.