Mahama Iddrisu

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu

| honorific-suffix =

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| office = Minister for Defence

| term_start = January 1993

| term_end = February 1999

| president = Jerry Rawlings

| predecessor = Himself

| successor = Lt. Col. E. K. T. Donkoh

| order2 =

| office2 = Secretary for Defence

| term_start2 = 1985

| term_end2 = January 1993

| vicepresident2 =

| viceprimeminister2 =

| deputy2 =

| monarch2 =

| president2 = Jerry John Rawlings
{{small|Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council}}

| primeminister2 =

| predecessor2 = Rear Adm. Chemogoh Kevin Dzang

| successor2 = Nii Okaidja Adamafio

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| nationality = Ghanaian

| party = National Democratic Congress

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| spouse = Betty Mould-Iddrisu

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| profession = Businessman

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| office1 = Minister for Interior

| office3 = Secretary for Transport and Communications

| term_end3 = 1987

| term_start3 = 1983

| term_start1 = 1 November 1996

| term_end1 = 20 February 1997

| successor3 = Yaw Donkor

| successor1 = Nii Okaidja Adamafio

| predecessor1 = E. M. Osei-Wusu

| president1 = Jerry Rawlings

| president3 = Jerry John Rawlings
{{small|Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council}}

}}

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a Ghanaian politician who was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council and a former Minister for Defence.{{cite news | url=http://www.dagbon.net/news.php?bo=showNews&ID=1366 | title=Iddrisu Mahama Joins Presidential Race | date=July 17, 2006 | accessdate=July 21, 2014}}{{Cite web|date=2019-05-11|title=We Won't Come! NDC Fights Police|url=https://dailyguidenetwork.com/we-wont-come-ndc-fights-police/|access-date=2021-02-17|website=DailyGuide Network|language=en-US}} He is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress.{{Cite journal|last=Bob-Milliar|first=George M.|date=2012|title=Party factions and power blocs in Ghana: a case study of power politics in the National Democratic Congress|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41653734|journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies|volume=50|issue=4|pages=573–601|doi=10.1017/S0022278X12000481|jstor=41653734|s2cid=154111641|issn=0022-278X|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite web |date=2017-06-08 |title=Divisions fatal for NDC – Mahama Iddrisu |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Divisions-fatal-for-NDC-Mahama-Iddrisu-546054 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}} He is the longest-serving Minister of Defence of Ghana, serving from 1985 to 1999, for 14 years.

Early life and education

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a native of Wa, the capital town of the Upper West Region of Ghana.{{Cite web |title=JoyNews Analysis: Bagbin, Mahama for NDC 2020 - MyJoyOnline.com |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/joy-news-analysis-bagbin-mahama-for-ndc-2020/ |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=Myjoyonline |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal|last=Bob-Milliar|first=George M.|date=2011|title='Te Nyɔgeyɛng Gbengbeng!' ('We Are Holding the Umbrella Very Tight!'): Explaining the Popularity of The NDC In the Upper West Region of Ghana|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41484998|journal=Africa: Journal of the International African Institute|volume=81|issue=3|pages=455–473|doi=10.1017/S0001972011000234|jstor=41484998|s2cid=145721915|issn=0001-9720|url-access=subscription}} He had his secondary school education at Tamale Secondary School, in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana.{{Cite web |title=Tamale Secondary School and 60 years of secondary education in northern Ghana - MyJoyOnline.com |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/tamale-secondary-school-and-60-years-of-secondary-education-in-northern-ghana/ |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=Myjoyonline |language=en-US}}

Politics

Iddrisu was a member of the United National Convention and later also of the All People's Party.{{Cite web |date=20 December 2006 |title=Who Lifts The NDC Flag (IV): Mahama Iddrisu? |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Who-Lifts-The-NDC-Flag-IV-Mahama-Iddrisu-115788 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}{{Cite book|last=Staff|first=American Universities Field|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ek8QAQAAMAAJ&q=alhaji+mahama+iddrisu|title=Reports|date=1979|language=en}} He later joined Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under the leadership of Jerry John Rawlings who served as the chairman and head of state. Under the PNDC, Iddrisu was the Secretary of Transport and Communications from 1983 to 1987.{{Cite book|last=Service|first=British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k-szAAAAIAAJ&q=alhaji+mahama+iddrisu|title=Summary of World Broadcasts: Non-Arab Africa|date=1984|language=en}} He also served as the Secretary of Defence from 1985 to 1993 when the council was dissolved.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ls_AQAAIAAJ&q=alhaji+mahama+iddrisu&pg=RA3-PA9|title=Ghana News|date=1986|publisher=Embassy of Ghana|language=en}}

= Minister of state =

When constitutional government was restored in 1993 under the National Democratic Congress, Iddrisu was appointed the Minister of Defence, a position he held until 1999. 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.

= 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.{{Cite web|title=NDC Eddie Annan coughs ¢100m|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/120333/ndc-eddie-annan-coughs-100m.html|access-date=2021-02-14|website=Modern Ghana|language=en}}{{Cite web |title=In Ghana, NDC Nominations for Presidential Candidates Open |url=https://www.voanews.com/archive/ghana-ndc-nominations-presidential-candidates-open |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513231920/https://www.voanews.com/archive/ghana-ndc-nominations-presidential-candidates-open |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2021 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=Voice of America News |language=en}} On 21 December 2006, he lost the elections to the previous flag bearer for the 2000 and 2004 elections, John Evans Atta Mills.{{Cite book|last=Nkrumah-Boateng|first=Rodney|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o0guAQAAIAAJ&q=eddie+annan|title=Ghana at 50: A Trip Down Memory Lane|date=2007|publisher=Woeli Pub. Services|isbn=978-9988-626-81-5|language=en}} 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).{{cite news|author=Ghana News Agency (GNA)|date=22 December 2006|title=NDC Congress Results – Prof Wins|newspaper=Modern Ghana|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/120781/1/ndc-congress-results-prof-wins.html|url-status=live|access-date=18 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319113021/https://www.modernghana.com/news/120781/1/ndc-congress-results-prof-wins.html|archive-date=19 March 2017|df=dmy-all}}

= 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. He has served in several capacities within the party since its inception. 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.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=29 April 2002|title=Ghana's opposition gets new leader|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1957642.stm|access-date=2021-01-22}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D8sjAQAAIAAJ&q=Obed+Asamoah|title=Democracy & Development: Quarterly Journal of the Centre for Democracy & Development|date=2003|publisher=CDD|language=en}}

== 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.{{Cite web |title=John Dramani Mahama - John Mahama, NDC console President Rawlings |url=https://www.johnmahama.org/news/john-mahama-ndc-console-president-rawlings |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=John Mahama |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2018-12-08 |title=Statement by NDC Council of Elders on meeting with eight presidential aspirants |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Statement-by-NDC-Council-of-Elders-on-meeting-with-eight-presidential-aspirants-707128 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=NDC cries foul over Ofosu Ampofo; Police to deal with issue through legal process|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/ghana-news-ndc-cries-foul-over-ofosu-ampofo-police-to-deal-with-issue-through-legal-process.html|access-date=2021-02-17|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}} After Rawlings' death in November 2020, he has been serving as the Acting chairman of the council of elders.{{Cite web |last=Quaye |first=Samuel |title=Ghanaians mourn late President Rawlings |url=https://www.gna.org.gh/1.19702158 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=Gna Ghana |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2018-06-04 |title=NDC presidential race: Betty Mould, husband support me – Iddrisu |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/NDC-presidential-race-Betty-Mould-husband-support-me-Iddrisu-657388 |access-date=2021-02-17 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}} He is also the brother in law of Alex Mould, a former chief executive officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.{{Cite news|title=When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives|language=en-gb|work=Modern Ghana|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/382631/when-the-moulds-re-mould-our-lives.html|access-date=2017-11-28}}{{Cite news|date=2012-03-09|title=When The Moulds, Re-Mould Our Lives|language=en-US|work=News Ghana|url=https://www.newsghana.com.gh/when-the-moulds-re-mould-our-lives/|access-date=2017-11-28}}