Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has taken a swipe at the opposition, describing them as “enemies of the state” and “very disorganised.”

Gbande’s comments come in the wake of a new Global Info Analytics poll that places Tamale South MP Haruna Iddrisu as the frontrunner to lead the NDC into the 2028 presidential elections.

While welcoming the poll as a positive sign for the party, Gbande cautioned against early succession politics, stressing that the current focus must remain on delivering on the mandate of President John Dramani Mahama’s government.

“I am determined that President Mahama must succeed, and that is my focus for the meantime. That is also the focus of the majority within our party,” Gbande said on JoyNews’ News Desk.

“We cannot fail the masses, we cannot fail you, we cannot fail the people of Ghana. So let us kill this conversation. That conversation is for when the timing is right.”

The NDC deputy chief scribe emphasised that the party’s true test lies not in opinion polls but in its ability to govern effectively under unprecedented levels of public expectation.

“We just came to power, and we are even yet to give a full account of our one-year term,” he explained.

“In the proper context of power transitioning, there has never been a time when any government, within nine months, has been met with the kind of expectation we are under now.”

Gbande stressed that performance, not personalities, would determine the party’s fate in the next election.

“Our trump card will be our performance. If we fail, we can go and bring Jesus Christ to come and lead the party; we will still go to the opposition,” he warned.

He added that the NDC’s “only luck” is the weakness of its opponents.

“The only luck we have is that the alternative is not something you want to venture into. Currently, they are enemies of the state, very disorganised.”

Gbande concluded by reiterating that conversations about the NDC’s 2028 flagbearer are premature and risk distracting from the party’s immediate responsibilities.

“We are happy that these polls are coming, no two ways about it,” he said. “But I am saying that this is not the time to engage in that conversation.”