Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Hon.
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Successor2:Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah
Office2:Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
Term Start2:2014
Term End2:2017
President2:John Dramani Mahama
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed
Birth Date:14 December 1974
Office3:Member of Parliament for Nanton Constituency
Term Start3:2013
Term End3:2017
Predecessor3:Iddrisu Abdul-Kareem
Successor3:Mohammed Hardi Tuferu
Birth Place:Ghana
Nationality:Ghanaian
Party:NDC
Alma Mater:Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
University of Ghana
Profession:Politician and Development Planner
Office4:Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations
Term End4:2014
Term Start4:2013
Successor4:(merged with Minister for Communications from 16 July 2014) Felix Kwakye Ofosu
President4:John Dramani Mahama

Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed (born 14 December 1974) is Ghanaian politician and member of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. He once served as the member of Parliament for Nanton,[1] the Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.[2] [3] He is Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency in the Northern Region.

Early years and education

Muhammed attended Ghana Senior High (GHANASCO), Tamale. He is a trained teacher who holds a teachers certificate A from Tamale College of Education (TACE), formerly Tamale training College (TATCO). He also holds a master's degree in Development Planning and International Relations and Diplomacy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana respectively.[4]

Political career

In 2009, after a change of political power from the NPP to NDC, Murtala Muhammed was appointed the deputy national coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) by John Evans Atta Mills which was later rebranded into Ghana Youth Employment Development Agency, (GYEDA).[5] [6] He held this position until he was elected Member of Parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the 2012 Elections.

Member of Parliament

In 2006, following the decision by Wayo Seini, MP for Tamale Central constituencydefect to the NPP, a by-election was declared fill in the vacancy. Muhammed stood for the NDC primaries but lost to Inusah Fuseini who eventually won the by-election replace Wayo Seini. Muhammed contested his party's primaries in 2008 and lost again to Fuseini who went on to retain his position in Parliament. Muhammed moved to stand for the primaries in the Nanton Constituency and this time, he won to represent the NDC as its Parliamentary candidate for the 2012 election.

2012 Parliamentary elections

Muhammed served as member of parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.[7] [8] In December 2012, he won the parliamentary election to represent the Nanton constituency by getting 10,369 votes representing 52.66% of the total votes cast against his closest contender who was the incumbent member of parliament, Abdul-Kareem Iddrisu who got 8,667 votes representing 44.02%.[9]

2016 Parliamentary elections

In 2016, after serving one term in parliament, he lost his bid to be re-elected as member of parliament to Mohammed Hardi Tuferu. Tuferu garnered 11,346 votes representing 51.84% against Muhammed's 10,451 votes representing 47.75% of the votes cast.[10] [11] Ahead of the elections, Muhammed was heard publicly accusing an NDC MP in the northern region of plotting to unseat him.

2020 Parliamentary elections

After the member of parliament for Tamale Central Inusah Fuseini decided not seek re-election in the 2020 elections, Muhammed contested his Party’s parliamentary primaries.[12] [13] In August 2019, he won the primaries after getting 737 votes against his two contenders Alhassan Adam and Abdul Hanan Gundado who got 181 votes and 319 votes respectively.[14] [15] He went on to win the main election, securing his return to parliament as MP for Tamale Central by obtaining 41,156 votes while the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ibrahim Anyars got 33,699 votes. .[16] In Parliament, Muhammed is a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Trade and Industry committees.[17]

Deputy Minister

In March 2013, John Dramani Mahama appointed Muhammed as Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and subsequently Trade and Industry under the John Mahama government from between 2013–2017.[18] After serving in that capacity for a year, the Ministry of Information and Media Relations and the Ministry of Communications were merged and Muhammed was moved along with Kweku Rickets-Hagan to serve as deputy ministers under new Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio Garbrah.[19] [20] He served in this role until his party lost the 2016 elections and handed over government to the New Patriotic Party in January 2017.

Personal life

He is a Muslim and married with three children.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Murtala Mohammed loses Nantong seat to NPP. 2016-12-08. Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. en-US. 2020-01-25.
  2. News: My defeat was internally inflicted – Murtala Muhammed. GhanaWeb. 31 December 2016. en. ultimatefmonline.com. 3 August 2020.
  3. Web site: Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Please Do Your Homework Before You Speak!. Modern Ghana. en. 2020-01-25.
  4. Web site: Ghana MPs – MP Details – Muhammed, Muritala Ibrahim . 2020-01-25 . GhanaMps.
  5. Web site: radioxyzonline . 19 July 2012 . NYEP changed to GYEDA . 2020-12-17 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  6. Web site: 2014-01-25 . Abuga Pele's prosecution "sad" – Murtala . 2020-12-17 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  7. Web site: 2018-09-23 . I'm not arrogant; I'm peaceful, humble – Murtala Mohammed . 2020-12-13 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  8. Web site: 2015-04-09. MP plotting to unseat me – Murtala Mohammed. 2020-12-13. Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. en-US.
  9. Web site: FM. Peace. Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2012. 2020-12-13. Ghana Elections – Peace FM.
  10. Web site: FM. Peace. Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2016. 2020-12-13. Ghana Elections – Peace FM.
  11. Web site: 2016-12-08. Murtala Mohammed loses Nantong seat to NPP. 2020-12-13. Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. en-US.
  12. Web site: Jostling for Tamale Central NDC parliamentary seat begins as Inusah Fuseini bows out from parliament . 2020-12-20 . Graphic Online . en-gb.
  13. Web site: 2019-07-16 . My decision not to contest in 2020 does not mean I'm exiting Parliament forever – Inusah Fuseini . 2020-12-22 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  14. Web site: 2019-08-25. NDC Primaries: Murtala wins Tamale Central. 2020-12-22. GBC Ghana Online. en-US.
  15. Web site: 2019-08-25. NDC Parliamentary Primaries results. 2020-12-22. The Ghana Report. en.
  16. Web site: NDC’s Murtala wins Tamale Central .
  17. Web site: Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed .
  18. Web site: Abdulai. Azure Imoro. 2019-04-02. Murtala Mohammed Eyes Tamale Central Parliamentary Seat. 2020-12-13. Modern Ghana. en.
  19. Web site: 16 July 2014 . Full list of Ministers out; Spio-Garbrah in as Information Ministry scrapped . 2020-12-16 . Graphic Online . en-gb.
  20. Web site: Chinese Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Sun Baohong Visited the Northern Region . 2020-12-17 . China-Embassy Ghana.