Dear Your Excellency my Vice President,
About a week or so ago, it came out that during your visit to the Northern regions of Ghana, where you hail from, and met with some party gurus and other dignitaries, and you were alleged to have made an ethnic and religious based statement during that unofficial campaign trail.
My Vice President, I am not at all concerned about you campaigning because it seems General Secretary J.F. Koduais now incapable of cracking the whip, like he promised to do.
My Vice President, what I am very much concerned about is what you were alleged to have said, in your native tongue, which was transcribed into English by someone who was also in the meeting with you on that day. In summary, you were alleged to have said something like this, that, Akans and Christians do not respect Northerners and Muslims, so they hand over to them, the dirty job of a Vice President.To you, been in the Office of the Vice President is, the most demeaning, dehumanising and dirty job because the dignity of that office is just to be at the peck and call of the president.
My Vice President, I found it very hard to believe that such a fine gentleman like you could make such a statement. So, I waited for a whole week, hoping you would calm my fears by coming out with a rebuttal, but to date nothing has come from your office or from you to directly, to deny that publication and disregard it with the contempt it deserved. So, whilst waiting, I will need to crave your indulgence to express my thoughts on that statement.
My Vice President, I was in the Conference Center, that Sunday of July 31, 2022 when you spoke essentially on religious tolerance and proudly giving yourself as an example of a Muslim who someone who had been a member of an important youth group in the Methodist Church. So, for you to come and launch an attack on Christians is too much for me.
My Vice President, I am always praying that the campaign towards the NPP’s National Congress somewhere in 2023, should seek to unite us, rather than divide the Party. You see, it is very essential to know that breaking the eight would remain a dream if NPP is disunited.
One thing you must be aware of is that the NPP could have broken the Eight in 2008, but for the self-inflicted division within the Party.Many party members stood as independent candidates against the Party’s candidates in the Parliamentary Election and in some cases, splitting of votes enabled the NDC candidates to win. But for that division, the NPP would have easily won more seats and form majority in Parliament.
Disaffection among the electorates due to the division within the Party succeeded in eroding the votes of its presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, thus making him lose the election in the run-off by 84,255 votes, after leading with 133,184 votes in the first round. Out of the 230 constituencies, then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo won 99 and NDC’s John Atta-Mills won 131.
In the run-off, the NPP won in only two regions, which were the Akan based Ashanti and Eastern regions.The other three Akan dominated regions of Brong-Ahafo, Central and Western decided to vote for the NDC.
The NPP grossly underrated Akans in 2008 and the Party paid dearly for it. This you should know since you were then the running mate.
My Dear Vice President, with at least, 71% of Ghanaians being Christians and following Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, the Second Person in the Triune God, which is called the Holy Trinity, something Muslims strongly object to, it is these people who decide who should be president in Ghana and who should not.
If the alleged statement is true, and that is about you blaming Akans and Christians for putting you in the vice-presidency, a job you were alleged to have described as dirty, dehumanising and demeaning, then it is very unfortunate.
At the time when you are gradually endearing to Christendom, such a statement is a self-inflicted fatal blow to you and to the chances of the NPP should you become the flag bearer.
My Dear Vice President, if indeed you felt mistreated in your position as Vice President, why did you opt to go a second time? You, as such a brilliant person, should not have allowed yourself to be used and abused, twice.
I will end on this note that you should come out sooner than later to clear the air, because should you win the flag bearer slot, you will need the Akans and the Christians more than ever to form government in 2025.
You should be the first person to tell Party faithful about how fatal it is, creating divisions in the NPP, towards General Elections. In 2008, NPP lost narrowly due to division and in 2020, it almost lost Parliament also, due to division, when some winnable candidates were rejected for losing ones.
My Vice President, NPP has lessons to learn and it cannot afford to continue with the same old ways that always cost the party dearly, to be glorified and implemented in 2024. NPP has got lessons to learn.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
