Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed

Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed MP
Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency
Incumbent
Assumed office 7th January 2021
Preceded by	Inusah Fuseini
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
In office 2014–2017
President	John Dramani Mahama
Succeeded by	Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah
Member of Parliament for Nanton Constituency
In office 2013–2017
Preceded by	Iddrisu Abdul-Kareem
Succeeded by	Mohammed Hardi Tuferu
Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations
In office 2013–2014
President	John Dramani Mahama
Succeeded by	(merged with Minister for Communications from 16 July 2014) Felix Kwakye Ofosu
Personal details
Born	(1974-12-14) 14 December 1974 (age 50) Ghana
Political party	NDC
Alma mater	Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology University of Ghana
Profession	Politician and Development Planner
Committees	Public Accounts Committee Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee

Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed (born 14 December 1974) is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Eighth 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. In December 2024, he was re-elected to serve as Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency in the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

Early years and education

Muhammed attended Ghana Senior High (GHANASCO), Tamale. He is a trained teacher who holds a teacher's certificate A from Tamale College of Education (TACE), formerly Tamale training College (TATCO).[4] 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.^[citation needed]

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.[7]

2012 Parliamentary elections

Muhammed served as member of parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.[8][9] 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%.[10]

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.[11][12] Ahead of the elections, Muhammed was heard publicly accusing an NDC MP in the northern region of plotting to unseat him.[9]

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.[13][14] 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.[15][16] 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. .[17] In Parliament, Muhammed is a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Trade and Industry committees.[18]

2024 parliamentary election

In December 2024, he won the parliamentary election on the ticket of the NDC to represent Tamale Central by securing 52,263 votes whiles his opponent had 16,647 votes. He retained the seat as MP for the Tamale Central.[19]

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.[7] 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.[20][21] He served in this role until his party lost the 2016 elections and handed over government to the New Patriotic Party in January 2017.[7]

Personal life

He is a Muslim and married with three children.[4]

References

1. "Murtala Mohammed loses Nantong seat to NPP". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
2. ultimatefmonline.com (31 December 2016). "My defeat was internally inflicted – Murtala Muhammed". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
3. "Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Please Do Your Homework Before You Speak!". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
4. "Ghana MPs – MP Details – Muhammed, Muritala Ibrahim". GhanaMps. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
5. radioxyzonline (19 July 2012). "NYEP changed to GYEDA". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
6. "Abuga Pele's prosecution "sad" – Murtala". GhanaWeb. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
7. Abdulai, Azure Imoro (2 April 2019). "Murtala Mohammed Eyes Tamale Central Parliamentary Seat". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
8. "I'm not arrogant; I'm peaceful, humble – Murtala Mohammed". GhanaWeb. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
9. "MP plotting to unseat me – Murtala Mohammed". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
10. FM, Peace. "Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2012". Ghana Elections – Peace FM. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
11. FM, Peace. "Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2016". Ghana Elections – Peace FM. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
12. "Murtala Mohammed loses Nantong seat to NPP". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
13. "Jostling for Tamale Central NDC parliamentary seat begins as Inusah Fuseini bows out from parliament". Graphic Online. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
14. "My decision not to contest in 2020 does not mean I'm exiting Parliament forever – Inusah Fuseini". GhanaWeb. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
15. "NDC Primaries: Murtala wins Tamale Central". GBC Ghana Online. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
16. "NDC Parliamentary Primaries results". The Ghana Report. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
17. "NDC's Murtala wins Tamale Central".
18. "Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed".
19. "Ibrahim Mutala Mohammed retains Tamale Central seat in 2024 Election". Graphic Online. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
20. "Full list of Ministers out; Spio-Garbrah in as Information Ministry scrapped". Graphic Online. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
21. "Chinese Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Sun Baohong Visited the Northern Region". China-Embassy Ghana. Retrieved 17 December 2020.