NPP awaits its biggest calamity of all times

With the NPP‘s splendid performance in the 2016 polls, deposing the

incumbent, I often ask myself if the NPP ever maintain or surpass

the record they have set or better still, even win an election again

after Akufo-Addo in subsequent elections? Unfortunately, all my

indicators point to a NO!

Innately, I believe majority of NPP’s policies are not achievable.

They were not made objectively as they were made in the heat of the

electioneering process in a desperate attempt to wrestling political

power and not discounting the salient fact that 2016 presented only

the last chance for a man whose aim to be at the flagstaff house were

framed since childhood in a bid to follow his father who was a

ceremonial president at a time In Ghana. If it takes lies to get him

there before he dies, so be it!

Or should I say that the policies in the real sense are achievable but

the NPP would not be successful in doing so. They cannot afford to

implement those policies the natural way, for that will be threat to

their very existence as a party. The failure of the policies would

emanate from the failure in pressing home, the change in the living

conditions of the people which the policies in it real sense should

carry as a hallmark.

Their policies would get better implementation when directed by a

socialist government and not a government that believe in private

capital and property accumulation.

Lest I forget, my foci today are not on governance and economics but

on intra-party politics so enough of the bush beating.

What I want to prop up is that there is an ensuing power struggle in

the NPP and everyone with a political spectacle should be able to see

it vividly. This power struggle is going to center around two party

bigwigs; the vice president, Mahmudu Bawumia and Trade and industry

minister, Alan Kyeremanten; an NPP primary election serial looser.

Even though Bawumia is yet to come clear on his presidential ambition,

his counterpart Alan Kyeremanten has already made his intention known.

He lost on all his three attempts to secure NPP’s flag bearer position

to President Akuffo Addo.

Both personalities qualify by all standards to succeed Akuffo Addo.

That being said NPP cannot have two leaders at the same time so it has

to choose one, but who it gets to choose becomes the problem as the

choice of either of them comes with its own set of problems. Who

amongst them is ready to eat the humble pie and allow for the other to

go first or would the defeated smoke the calumet with the winner after

primaries for party unity.

The problem even gets more complex when both realize that eating the

humble pie would mean that they wholly forget their ambition for

trying to come back for the flag bearer title after the other had

finished their term as a president is hundred-to-one.

Bawumia would defy all odds to contest Alan Kyeremanten because he is

young and energetic and would want to reap from the ‘Brain service’ he

is rendering the NPP. If he should allow Alan Kyeremanten to go, he

would have to stay mute for 8 or 12 years predicated on the electoral

circumstance. Again would Bawumia transcend from a vice president to a

minister in an Alan government, he may only accept an advisory role.

Within the years, Bawumia would greatly loose his niche in the NPP to

a budding influential person. His popularity would dwindle so would

his political fortunes. Bawumia would even loose to a deputy minister

if he dares tries contesting in a flag bearer race organized after

Alan’s exit at the presidency.

Is Bawumia ready to make this sacrifice for Alan and the party?

Supposed he is, what would his northern brothers say?

The other face of the coin is that when Alan Kyeremanten also swallows

his pride and eats the humble pie, his age wouldn’t favor him to

contest the flag bearer race again when Bawumia exits the presidency.

From an analytical point of view, having Bawumia succeed Akuffo Addo

has more pros than cons and a positive outlook on the party at large.

Among others are: the ethnocentric tag on the party would be dead for

good. The northern regions would be solidly behind the NPP granting

them the prospects of prolonging their rule on the country by 16 years

after Akuffo Addo; 8 years for Bawumia and 8 years for next flag

bearer provided they are able to run an effective campaign.

Alan Kyeremanten taking on the flag bearer position has more cons than

pros and largely not in the interest of the party. Also among other

things is that the ethnocentric tag on them would be entrenched in the

minds of the Ghanaian by the opposition. It has the tendency to divide

the party leading to the Breaking away of the northern faction.

Alan Kyeremanten would succeed in becoming the party’s next flagbearer

because he has more money, influence and support in the party than

Bawumia. His Ashanti cabals are going to join the plot to deny Bawumia

the position. And not to mention, sympathy would be on his side as he

set off his journey since 2008.

Alan’s flagbearer title would be an end to itself but not a means to

an end. He would see a reharsh of his struggle in becoming a

flagbearer of the NPP when he tries to go for the presidency – he

would again be a serial looser to the NDC.

Trying to convince the northern caucus to be with him this time around

(most likely luring them with a running mate position) would be an

exercise in futility. Bob marley puts it even sagely,’ you can fool

some of the people sometimes, but you cannot fool the people all the

time.'

Is Alan ready to sacrifice his ambition, let go of all the time,

energy and money he had lost in pursuance of his ambition for the

greater good of the party?

If he should ask me for my opinion, I would say it is more worthy to

become something of worship long after you have left the world than to

become the president and then be forgotten. To me Alan should eat the

humble pie. He can take a leaf from Danquah’s book. He never became

the president of Ghana as he wished but today, every tom dick and

harry in the party hail him as their Godfather.

In closing I have this funny feeling that Alan would not listen to me,

so at this juncture let me grab a bottle of my favourite, sobolo and

take the backseat as the drama unfolds.