Ghana: Ex-Tarkwa MP Mireku Duker’s Tribal Tirade Against Rawlings, Kufuor, Akufo-Addo & Mahama Sparks Political Firestorm

George Mireku Duker

The political career of the former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency in Ghana, George Mireku Duker, is hanging by a thread after a leaked audio dripping with tribal undertones set the country’s political space ablaze.

The viral tape, allegedly recorded during a closed-door campaign meeting with New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates at his house in Tarkwa on August 9, 2025, captures Mr. Duker in a no-holds-barred tirade against past and present Ghanaian Presidents.

In what many have described as reckless and unbecoming of a former lawmaker, Duker reportedly suggested that if “even Nana Akufo-Addo who is an Akyem, J.A. Kufuor an Ashanti, someone from Bole, and J.J. Rawlings from Volta” could become Presidents of Ghana, then he was “more than qualified” to lead the NPP and the nation.

Political watchers say this statement was not only disrespectful to the late Jerry John Rawlings and others mentioned, but also carried thinly veiled tribal connotations that could inflame passions in an already divided political landscape.

Old Wounds Resurface

This is not the first time the ex-MP has found himself in hot water over his choice of words. Political historians will recall that in 2007, while serving as Western Regional Campaign Coordinator for Alan Kyerematen, Duker dismissed Nana Akufo-Addo as “a short man unfit for the presidency.”

In the latest audio, Duker allegedly launched verbal missiles at former President Kufuor and other political heavyweights, accusing them of riding on the back of the presidency to amass influence while touting himself as the “natural choice” for leadership, given Western Region’s mineral wealth.

Attack on Predecessor

Not spared in Duker’s verbal onslaught was his predecessor, Hon. Gifty Eugenia Kusi. Duker is alleged to have mocked her political credentials, claiming she “lacked prospects” to climb higher in politics, and that her main role in Parliament was “serving food and making merry with colleagues.”

NPP Youth Fume

The backlash has been swift and fierce. The Western Region Youth for Bawumia have issued a strongly-worded statement condemning Duker’s comments as “arrogant, tribalistic, and disgraceful to the NPP’s unity agenda.”

They have called on Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to immediately strip Duker of his role as Western Regional Campaign Coordinator, warning that his “divisive posturing” is sabotaging both the party’s regional fortunes and Dr. Bawumia’s presidential bid.

Unity at stake

With calls mounting for a public apology and permanent removal from any campaign role, the Mireku Duker saga threatens to become a political time bomb capable of detonating right at the heart of the NPP’s unity drive ahead of the crucial 2026 primaries.

For now, the embattled ex-MP remains silent, but the chorus of outrage grows louder by the hour.