Is NDC Giving Away Power?

-Commitment of Some Appointees

To Mahama Victory Suspect

“I have followed the president for some time and I must say that there certain positives going for him; there is nobody in Ghana who can argue that the road infrastructure has not significantly improved within the last four years…there is nobody in this country who today can in all honesty argue that the water situation has not improved significantly…health infrastructure has improved significantly, educational infrastructure…

“{But}if the completion of projects were the only yardsticks for getting votes and so on, perhaps the NPP strong hold may be in the Volta Region and the NDC stronghold may be Ashanti…those who want to assist President Mahama to win elections need to do a proper assessment; otherwise, they will mislead the President and mislead themselves and the consequences can only be disastrous”

“The people canvassing for votes should know that It is not what they say that will bring the votes to them… they (electorates) will look at their needs and aspirations as well as what they are going to benefit…”

The above quotes are not ours; they are the words of the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold, last Saturday.

In what could be described as reenactment of happenings ahead of the 2008 elections where the New Patriotic Party ‘painfully’ handed power to then opposition National Democratic Congress despite talks of former President Kufuor’s “unparalleled” achievements, the John Dramani Mahama administration is likely to suffer similar fate unless urgent and radical measures are taken to address creeping complacency, arrogance and nonchalant behavior of some NDC appointees.

In spite of the giant strides by the Mahama administration in the transformation of the country, (a transformation that has shaken the very foundation of opposition parties ahead of this year’s elections), the NDC government appears complacent and seemed to be doing little to curb overt and covert schemes to have it replaced in the upcoming election.

In the midst of the apparent complacency and conceitedness of some government appointees, majority of Ghanaian middle class, some civil society organizations, media and religious bodies are busily scheming to have the Mahama government supplanted with an untrustworthy Akufo-Addo administration. The country’s Development Partners, particularly, the West, are not left out in this move except that, they aren’t sure or convinced of an Akufo Addo led-government.

A diplomatic source speaking to this paper on strict condition of anonymity said “given the kind of promises the Ghanaian opposition leader is going round making…it is clear he does understand the challenges facing the nation, and was likely to reverse the modest gains so far made by the government in partnership of the Bretton Woods”, he stated.

The present political goings-on in the country are not different from what pertained in the run up to the 2008 elections. The ‘success’ stories of the Kufuor-led NPP administration, notwithstanding, Nana Akufo-Addo bitterly lost to late President John Atta Mills.

Not even the Kufuor government’s much trumpeted social interventions including, the NHIS, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty, School feeding program, Metro Mass Transit; Free Maternal Health Care, soft loan schemes among others 'good' works of the NPP administration could save the then ruling party from defeat.

Many objective political analysts The aL-hAJJ has been speaking to, say the present state of the country is no different from the levels of 2008 when then president Kufuor, NPP apparatchiks and Nana Akufo-Addo in particular, continued to delude themselves that their par excellence performances together with incumbency advantage would automatically translate into a one-touch victory.

But they were wrong. They were to have the rude shock of their lives when Nana Akufo-Addo could not secure a first round victory in the December 2008 polls. The NPP flag bearer subsequently lost to the NDC’s John Evans Atta Mills in the second round of voting by a slim margin.

Appointees and functionaries of the Mahama administration are not thinking otherwise as they, like Kufuor apparatchiks; believe a first round victory in November is already wrapped due to the government’s record. This may have informed media reports that about 25 of NDC bigwigs are contemplating succeeding President Mahama come 2020.

What perhaps these ambitious NDC presidential aspirants for the 2020 elections are overlooking is the fact that, the chances of any one of them ascending to the highest office of the land post John Mahama; will be contingent on President’s showing in the upcoming November polls.

The Mahama government, like the Kufour administration of 2008, has been battling with numerous challenges that are steadily diminishing its chances ahead of the November elections. Among the factors working against the NDC includes but not limited to the erratic power supply, economic hardship as a result of high utility tariffs and high taxes, unemployment and appointees’ insensitiveness among others.

But, most prominent among the challenges likely to wreak havoc on the Mahama government notwithstanding, all the so-called “unmatched” infrastructural development and the realignment of the country’s economy; is the hardship and erratic power supply.

The cancellation of trainee teachers and nurses’ allowances despite government’s worthy defense, citing equity and expansion in enrolment notwithstanding; is also likely to pinch the Mahama government going into the November election.

The affected and prospective trainee teachers and nurses are yet to come to terms with why the allowances should be canceled or replaced with student loans.

In the midst of these conspicuous difficulties militating against the chances of the Mahama government, predictions by political pundits and some polling organizations of an Akufo-Addo presidency after this year’s elections are also being reinforced by prophecies from Seers and Men of God who have been consistent with their forecast of an NPP victory.

Founder and leader of Glorious Word Ministry International, Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah and a Seer, Sheikh Ustaz Sham-una Jibril, have all prophesized a convincing win for the NPP 2016 flag bearer.

Sheikh Ustaz, who predicted a win for General Buhari in the 2015 Nigeria presidential elections reaffirmed his prophecy of an Akufo-Addo victory only last week, claiming “I have already congratulated him [Nana Addo] in the Spiritual realm after the results were declared and even attended his investiture.”

Ahead of the country’s November elections the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) also, having predicted an NPP victory in its last two reports, reiterated this position last week. It insisted this time around that, Nana Akufo-Addo will edge past President John Mahama of the NDC.

According to the report, though the presidential and parliamentary elections are likely to be acrimonious and dirty, the NPP will turn out victors with a convincing margin.

The clamor for NDC exit from power, ironically, is resolutely been supported by the party’s founder, Jerry John Rawlings and wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings. Nana Konadu is hoping to contest this year’s elections, possibly, to wreck political havoc in the governing party’s strongholds in aid of an Akufo-Addo victory.

On his part, Mr Rawlings, who has had running battles with Nana Akufo-Addo dating back to the revolutionary days, is now a political bedfellow of the NPP flag bearer.

The former President has so far not disappointed his ‘new found friend’ as he recently jumped to his defense, rubbishing claims by members of the NDC that Nana Akufo-Addo cannot be absolve of corruption.

Mr. Rawlings testified to the integrity and credibility of Nana Akufo-Addo, saying the opposition leader is not corrupt. "Fortunately for them, (referring to the NPP), they have a leader who is not known for messing around with material things," Mr Rawlings noted.

Going into this year’s election, there is no gainsaying that aside the seemingly despondency among electorates, including some ruling party members, the NDC will have uphill task dealing with ferocious opposition from its own founder and wife, Nana Konadu, and the NPP in particularly.

Even though the election is just four months away, many have said considering the ‘monumental’ works by the government, it is not too late for President Mahama and leadership of the NDC to turn things around.

Proponents of this position are of the firm believe that if communication challenges in both government and party is promptly and adequately addressed, opponents of government would have failed in their attempts at polluting the minds of electorates as it is the case now.

“If the Mahama government had turned its attention to addressing the communication challenges the NDC government faced from the days of late Mills, government would not have been in such bad light,” a senior member of the party who pleaded anonymity told The aL-hAJJ in a recent conversation.

As the Managing Editor of the Insight stated, “it is not enough to say that good things are happening but it is up to those communicating it to convince people that given all of our circumstances, this is the best that can happen.”

Stay tuned