Tema West NPP Parliamentary Primary; the Post-mortem

Fostering unpopular parliamentary candidates on constituents has always proven to be miserably unwise, woefully counter-productive and electorally catastrophic; and 2008 examples of Joe Osei-Wusu, SHABA, and others are there for all to see. The delegates of NPP have always been wise and taken decisions that will ensure internal peace and unity, for the ultimate bright electoral prospects of the party.

This why the results of yesterday’s parliamentary primaries in Tema-West constituency, never came to me as a surprise. As a matter of fact, such monumental electoral tsunamis are waiting to erupt at a few other constituencies, particularly Klottey-Korle and Ablekuma-West.

This character of NPP delegates was amply demonstrated at recent national delegates' conference in Tamale, where self-acclaimed/perceived Nana Addo ‘loyalists’ were swept aside,en-block,and replaced with perceived Nana Addo ‘adversaries’. The delegates, who are at the very bottom of our party’s official structure and therefore are constantly, and directly, intouch with the masses and know which direction the party must go, delivered that electoral results at the Tamale conference for the following purposes;

1. UNITY

2. COMPETENCE

3. LOYALTY

4. DEDICATION

5. SELFLESSNESS

6. AND ABOVE ALL, ELECTORAL SUCCESS OF THE PARTY.

I was an integral part of the KA4GS campaign team and can confidently say that over 95% of party delegates who delivered the emphatic victory to Nana Addo to lead us into election-2016, also voted for Kwabena Agyei Agyepong to be the party’s General Secretary.

In effect, the delegates never vote for officials who don’t possess any of these afore-mentioned qualities, but, only pride themselves in flimsy charade of being so-called ardent loyalists of the party’s flagbearer at any point in time. The party delegates simply sent a clear signal that, indeed, as a mass political organization, members of NPP necessarily don’t have to be close-pals in order to forge ahead in unity to prosecute a winning-campaign at any point in time.

Unfortunately, this highly astute way of the delegates sending a clear message of unity to the rank-and-file of the party, is being erroneously projected as a mistake of electing a flagbearer and turning round to elect national officers that the former cannot comfortably work with. And I have always asked; WHERE AND WHEN HAS NANA ADDO EVER DECLARED THAT HE CANNOT WORK WITH ANY OF THE PARTY’S CURRENT NATIONAL EXECUTIVES, but the answer has never been forthcoming.

It is in the light of this,that,the current leadership in all regions, particularly the party’s major strong-hold, Ashanti Region, must direct their energies in coming up with workable strategic-plan to counter NDC determined agenda of securing one-million votes in the region. The habit of waking up at dawn to wash the party’s internal matters on OK-FM, while leaving untouched, the myriad of socio-economic catastrophe currently bedeviling our dear nation, must be vehemently jettisoned, roundly condemned, and those engaged in it hooted at, HENCEFORTH.

In much the same way, none of these elected party officials, from the polling station to national, is a saint; as humans, we are fallible and pointing out people’s shortfalls must be devoid of crude malice, baseless finger-pointing, acrimonious diatribe and pure hatred. Pointing out others’ shortfalls must be guided by humility in approach, sincerity of heart, maturely discreet and above all, the supreme interest of our GREAT OSONO fraternity and enhancements of its electoral fortunes.

Indeed, the task of getting rid of a cash-soaked incumbent NDC government, in theory, is almost an impossible one, considering the fact that they are far-advanced when it comes to election-winning tricks. Again, our nation's election results have never been determined by one's performance in government; elections are often won on the basis of the highest-bidder and the vociferousness of lies-peddling. In both ways, NPP is clearly at a disadvantage going into election-2016 so our only trump-card is UNITY, driven by singleness of purpose on massive grassroots-campaign-drive in the hinterlands.

In the light of this, we definitely cannot afford to supplant competence with gross ineptitude which is surreptitiously wrapped-up in a fictitious garment of blind-folded loyalty to any personality, when the suffering masses of our dear nation are banking all their hopes of socio-economic survival beyond 2016, on our great BUSIA-DANQUAH-DOMBO tradition, which has proven to be the only credible political organization in our nation’s history, to have strictly adhered to its social contracts with the people.

HENCEFORTH, WE MUST CUT-OUT THE INCESSANT CARELESS-WHISPERS AND RATHER COME-UP WITH STRATEGIC PLANS THAT WILL ENSURE OUR VICTORY IN 2016.NANA ADDO MUST BE SPARED ALL THE PERSISTENT UNPRODUCTIVE GOSSIPS THAT ONLY TEND TO WASTE HIS PRECIOUS TIME, IN ORDER TO AFFORD HIM THE PEACE OF MIND TO CONCENTRATE ON CRITICAL MATTERS IN PURSUIT OF OUR VICTORY-MARCH TOWARDS 7TH DECEMBER, 2016.NPP WILL BE BACK!!!

Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei

E-mail: justnoff@yahoo.com