Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has shared his views on the prospects of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), becoming President of Ghana.
Speaking on a panel discussion on Joy FM on September 21, 2025, Kpebu admitted that while Asiedu Nketiah can rise to the presidency, there are challenges, particularly when it comes to public perception and optics.
According to him, the NDC still enjoys significant goodwill among the electorate, citing the over 1.6 million-vote difference between President John Mahama and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 general elections.
He argued that such a wide margin cannot be erased in just one electoral cycle.
“If he wins the primaries, he can make it because that means the whole party machinery and even John Mahama himself will rally behind him. With a first-past-the-post system and 50% plus one, he can scrape through,” Kpebu explained.
However, he was quick to note that Asiedu Nketiah’s main hurdle would be how Ghanaians perceive him visually and stylistically as a presidential candidate.
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“Let’s be blunt. When it comes to optics, generally speaking, Asiedu Nketiah doesn’t usually look the part for presidency. That’s just the truth,” he stated.
Kpebu, nonetheless, argued that Ghanaian voters may eventually move beyond optics when assessing leadership, pointing to former President Akufo-Addo’s tenure.
“People said Akufo-Addo had the swag, but where did we end up? Corruption worsened, freedoms were suppressed, the economy tanked. So maybe a time will come when we look beyond optics and focus on substance,” he added.
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