As power clouds gather ahead of November polls

I put my thoughts to paper after taking a step backwards to read from many colleagues indeed many have been very objective and others have also played to the gallery but thanks to each and everyone for the good work done. I believe my return would be acceptable in the sight of God and an eye opener to those who are not in tune with the politics of the Upper West Region.

The struggle for power has started across Ghana with each and everyone seeking to achieve both an individual and collective interest which would either converge with the national interest or be at variance with it. The political terrain rugged as it is would soon get so muddy and sticky hence mudslinging will be commonplace.

With barely four months for the ruling NDC to make history by retaining power to Enjoy a consecutive three terms with President John Mahama also making history by being the longest serving President in the Fourth Republic, the NPP has to reverse the tide in order not to stay in opposition for so long as in the case of their antecedents.

This makes this election a make or break one since the incumbent can't afford to be a one term president whereas Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party wouldn't imagine being crowned an opposing leader emeritus.

The addictive nature of power like heroine is already pestering those within the ruling party to guide power against being lost just as it is for all the incumbent Members of Parliament irrespective of the political parties they belong.

This opening series of the Last Man would only highlight a few issues which are crucial to the upcoming elections.

God reveals to redeem but not to put us to shame. The faith and fate of many men of God would be put to test, as several of them will predict some candidates as winners and others as losers. But when all is said and done the God they serve would have ‘deceived’ us or have been put to shame.

In a related manner some those who would be skating on the thin ice of shame would be some pollsters, researchers and other civil society organizations.

Decent speech would be as rare as hens teeth, since the use of intemperate language and the adoption of vile propaganda would become a major part of the political discourse. This slips me into the controversial valley of whether to allow or shut down social media on the day of the elections.

I dare say that our police service hasn't the capacity to ensure sanity on new media platforms during the November polls, hence to ensure that faceless people don't plunge our nation into anarchy then shutting it down would be the lesser devil to accept.

Realizing how MPs develop aristocratic features soon as they are elected and begin enjoying the largesse of office, the battle within the Upper West Region promises to be very intense and interesting. The ruling NDC has ten out of the eleven Parliamentary seats in the Upper West Region whereas an independent candidate holds the other lone seat left.

That said, the Last Man Episode would take these seats one after the other on the chances of the various political parties and individuals.

The Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency which I call 'the trouble spot', Lawra Constituency also 'No Man’s Land ' and the Jirapa would be up in the next three weeks.

Much as I don't intend tackling that of Nadowli-Kaleo now but it is imperative for me to put forward something little across.

This Constituency has become the most unsafe seat for the NDC in our region. This assertion may look absurd but come next week the facts will speak for themselves. The NPP is also going to suffer a huge candidature crisis as there are talks underway to having their candidate Dr. Robinson Boyebandie replaced on health and financial grounds. This gives an advantage to Benard Mornah the Peoples National Convention national chairman and their Parliamentary Candidate for the Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency.

He is most likely to win the heart of disgruntled NDC members, apathetic NPP members and floating voters. In the same vein the longest serving MP in the fourth republic Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin will stop at nothing to retaining the seat he has held since the inception of the fourth republic. Much as all these aspirants are very decent politicians some of their campaign team members and assigns are so hotheaded that they are already firing salvos at each other.

Suffice all to say, as power clouds gather which political party can harvest more votes?

Make a date with the Last Man's Episode each week as I walk you through all the eleven constituencies of Upper West Region.

Joseph Oswald Ali

(Last Man Standing)