Mahama Iddrisu

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu
Minister for Defence
In office January 1993 – February 1999
President	Jerry Rawlings
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Lt. Col. E. K. T. Donkoh
Minister for Interior
In office 1 November 1996 – 20 February 1997
President	Jerry Rawlings
Preceded by	E. M. Osei-Wusu
Succeeded by	Nii Okaidja Adamafio
Secretary for Defence
In office 1985 – January 1993
President	Jerry John Rawlings Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council
Preceded by	Rear Adm. Chemogoh Kevin Dzang
Succeeded by	Nii Okaidja Adamafio
Secretary for Transport and Communications
In office 1983–1987
President	Jerry John Rawlings Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council
Succeeded by	Yaw Donkor
Personal details
Nationality	Ghanaian
Political party	National Democratic Congress
Spouse	Betty Mould-Iddrisu
Profession	Businessman

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a Ghanaian politician who was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council and a former Minister for Defence.^[1][2] He is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress.^[3][4] He is the longest-serving Minister of Defence of Ghana, serving from 1985 to 1999, for 14 years.^[5]

Early life and education

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a native of Wa, the capital town of the Upper West Region of Ghana.^[6][7] He had his secondary school education at Tamale Secondary School, in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana.^[8]

Politics

Iddrisu was a member of the United National Convention and later also of the All People's Party.^[5][9] He later joined Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under the leadership of Jerry John Rawlings who served as the chairman and head of state.^[5] Under the PNDC, Iddrisu was the Secretary of Transport and Communications from 1983 to 1987.^[10] He also served as the Secretary of Defence from 1985 to 1993 when the council was dissolved.^[11][5]

Minister of state

When constitutional government was restored in 1993 under the National Democratic Congress, Iddrisu was appointed as the Minister of Defence, a position he held until 1999.^[5] He also served as Minister of Interior working in that role concurrently with his role as Minister of Defence from November 1996 to February 1997, when he handed over to E.M. Osei-Wusu. In 1999 he was appointed the Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs.^[1][5]

Presidential Bid

Ahead of the 2008 Ghanaian general election, Iddrisu declared his intention and stood for the NDC's presidential elections in 2006, he stood against then former Vice President John Evans Atta Mills, former minister Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and NDC financier Eddie Annan.^[12][13] On 21 December 2006, he lost the elections to the previous flag bearer for the 2000 and 2004 elections, John Evans Atta Mills.^[14] Mills won with a majority of 81.4%, or 1,362 votes with Ekwow Spio-Garbrah coming in second with 8.7% (146 votes), he was third with 8.2% (137 votes), and whilst Eddie Annan was fourth with 1.7% (28 votes).^[15]

National Democratic Congress

Iddrisu is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when it was formed in 1992 after the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was dissolved ahead of the country's return to constitutional rule.^[5][4] He has served in several capacities within the party since its inception.^[5] In 2002, Iddrisu stood for the chairmanship election to replace Rawlings as head of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), but he lost to former Attorney–General and Minister of Justice, Obed Asamoah by just 2 votes getting 332 against his 334.^[16][17]

Council of elders

Iddrisu served as the Vice chairman of the council of elders of the NDC over the years, with the party's founder Jerry John Rawlings serving as the chairman.^[18][19][20] After Rawlings' death in November 2020, he has been serving as the Acting chairman of the council of elders.^[21]

Personal life

Iddrisu is the husband of Betty Mould-Iddrisu, a former Minister of Justice under the John Atta Mills administration and a former Minister of Education under the John Dramani Mahama administration.^[22] He is also the brother in law of Alex Mould, a former chief executive officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.^[23][24]

See also

• Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC)
• Minister for Defence

Political offices
Preceded by C. K. Dzang	Secretary for Defence 1982 – 1983	Succeeded by E. K. T. Donkoh

References

1. "Iddrisu Mahama Joins Presidential Race". 17 July 2006. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
2. "We Won't Come! NDC Fights Police". DailyGuide Network. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
3. Bob-Milliar, George M. (2012). "Party factions and power blocs in Ghana: a case study of power politics in the National Democratic Congress". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 50 (4): 573–601. doi:10.1017/S0022278X12000481. ISSN 0022-278X. JSTOR 41653734. S2CID 154111641.
4. "Divisions fatal for NDC – Mahama Iddrisu". GhanaWeb. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
5. "Who Lifts The NDC Flag (IV): Mahama Iddrisu?". GhanaWeb. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
6. "JoyNews Analysis: Bagbin, Mahama for NDC 2020 - MyJoyOnline.com". Myjoyonline. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
7. Bob-Milliar, George M. (2011). "'Te Nyɔgeyɛng Gbengbeng!' ('We Are Holding the Umbrella Very Tight!'): Explaining the Popularity of The NDC In the Upper West Region of Ghana". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 81 (3): 455–473. doi:10.1017/S0001972011000234. ISSN 0001-9720. JSTOR 41484998. S2CID 145721915.
8. "Tamale Secondary School and 60 years of secondary education in northern Ghana - MyJoyOnline.com". Myjoyonline. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
9. Staff, American Universities Field (1979). Reports.
10. Service, British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring (1984). Summary of World Broadcasts: Non-Arab Africa.
11. Ghana News. Embassy of Ghana. 1986.
12. "NDC Eddie Annan coughs ¢100m". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
13. "In Ghana, NDC Nominations for Presidential Candidates Open | Voice of America - English". Voice of America News. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
14. Nkrumah-Boateng, Rodney (2007). Ghana at 50: A Trip Down Memory Lane. Woeli Pub. Services. ISBN 978-9988-626-81-5.
15. Ghana News Agency (GNA) (22 December 2006). "NDC Congress Results – Prof Wins". Modern Ghana. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
16. "Ghana's opposition gets new leader". BBC News. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
17. Democracy & Development: Quarterly Journal of the Centre for Democracy & Development. CDD. 2003.
18. "John Dramani Mahama - John Mahama, NDC console President Rawlings". John Mahama. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
19. "Statement by NDC Council of Elders on meeting with eight presidential aspirants". GhanaWeb. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
20. "NDC cries foul over Ofosu Ampofo; Police to deal with issue through legal process". Graphic Online. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
21. Quaye, Samuel. "Ghanaians mourn late President Rawlings". Gna Ghana. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
22. "NDC presidential race: Betty Mould, husband support me – Iddrisu". GhanaWeb. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
23. "When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
24. "When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives". News Ghana. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2017.