Mahama Iddrisu

Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu is a Ghanaian politician who was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council and a former Minister for Defence. He is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress. He is the longest-serving Minister of Defence of Ghana, serving from 1985 to 1999, for 14 years. He had his secondary school education at Tamale Secondary School, in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Politics Iddrisu was a member of the United National Convention and later also of the All People's Party. He later joined Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under the leadership of Jerry John Rawlings who served as the chairman and head of state. He also served as the Secretary of Defence from 1985 to 1993 when the council was dissolved. On 21 December 2006, he lost the elections to the previous flag bearer for the 2000 and 2004 elections, John Evans Atta Mills. 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).

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.

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. After Rawlings' death in November 2020, he has been serving as the Acting chairman of the council of elders.

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. He is also the brother in law of Alex Mould, a former chief executive officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.