National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has brushed aside suggestions that his nationwide thank-you tour was a covert campaign to position himself for the party’s 2028 presidential race.

General Mosquito, as he is popularly called, insisted the exercise was purely part of his responsibility as chairman.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, he dismissed claims that the tour was designed to project his presidential ambitions, describing those making such allegations as either uninformed or deliberately mischievous.

“Those who said that were either ignorant about how a party is run, or they were simply being mischievous,” he said.

He argued that if the tour had been a campaign, it would naturally have been followed by an election.

“If I were campaigning, at the end of every campaign, what happens? Elections. Since I finished three months ago, have they brought the ballot paper for us to cast the vote?”

Asiedu Nketiah maintained that his duty as National Chairman is to keep the party united and ensure members support the government, especially since he does not head a ministry.

“It is work that ought to be done, and I’ll continue doing it,” he said, adding that wherever he saw the need to engage party members and deliver the right messages, he would do so regardless of criticism.

He explained that his intervention became necessary after reports of growing frustrations among party supporters over appointments, recruitment and other concerns.

He said some members were even considering demonstrations against the NDC government.

“I thought that I should go down there and quench the fires, and so far, I’m happy that once I went around, all the fires were quenched.”

Asked directly whether the thank-you tour was intended to present him as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, Asiedu Nketiah rejected the suggestion.

“If I want to project myself, it will not be through a thank-you tour, because did you hear me saying anything about myself?” he asked.

He noted that every event was streamed live, yet he never used any platform to promote himself or declare any political ambition.

He also questioned the logic behind claims that he needed a nationwide tour to become more visible.

“Who in this party is better known than Asiedu Nketiah? So what is the need to go and show yourself for people to see that you are Asiedu Nketiah? Who doesn’t know me? Everybody knows me.”

Instead, he said his message throughout the tour focused on urging party members to remain patient over appointments and recruitment while explaining the realities facing the government.

He also said the tour fulfilled a promise he made during the 2024 election campaign, when he visited villages to canvass support for NDC parliamentary candidates.

According to him, chiefs, opinion leaders and assembly members welcomed the visit because it demonstrated that the NDC keeps its promises.

Responding to comments by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who had referred to President John Mahama’s visit to the Northern Region as “a proper thank-you tour” rather than “the other thank-you tour,” Asiedu Nketiah declined to escalate the matter.

“I don’t know about that, but even if he was referring to me, it means he got everything wrong on that occasion.”

He added that as party chairman, he would not engage in public fights with party members simply because they disagreed with him.