The New Patriotic Party is in the news again, with some party members indicating their desire to contest for the party’s flag bearer slot. A total of ten gentlemen, Kennedy Agyapong, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Boakye Agyarko, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Joe Ghartey, Alan Kyerematen, Francis Addai Nimoh and Kojo Poku, recently picked nomination forms to contest in the presidential primaries.
Four of them, namely Alan Kyerematen, MahamuduBawumia,AfriyieAkoto and Kennedy Agyapong are considered the front runners with the dark horses led by AddaiNimoh, BoakyeAgyarko and KwabenaAgyepong.
Stakes are high in the NPP and the party is split up into the ten camps. Instead of some party members protecting the image of the party by reasonably projecting their choices of aspirant, some have decided to attack aspirants and even go on to spread falsehood while some make certain statements that will come back to haunt them if their choice wins.
The three who have been suffering greatly from unwarranted attacks by some of their own party members Alan KwadwoKyerematen, MahamuduBawumia and Afriyie Akoto.
Alan’s attempt to resign from the NPP in 2008, is been repackaged and presented as if he did quit the party. Party members who are using this to question what the heck he is doing in Flag Bearer Campaign 2023, insist that Alan had bad fate with the NPP, so he is not fit to lead the party.
Legitimate questions, which are avoided by Alan’s attackers include, if Alan’s resignation was accepted, then how come he was part of National Campaign 2008 with the then flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo?
And if he had resigned from the party why was he accepted to contest for the flag bearer slot, not once but twice in 2010 and 2014?
The party demands that anybody who joins the party can only take up an office after at least five years and this also affect returnees.
Alan’s showcase, 1D1F, is rubbished by some of those who do not want him on the presidential ballot of Election 2024.
How can such NPP members defend the good works of this government, if they downgrade one of the greatest feats of Nana Addo’s administration. Alan’s project of industrialization is one that can enrich people including the poor, living in rural communities.
MahamuduBawumia is next on the list of presidential aspirants who are at the receiving end of their own party members. Some people do not understand why MPs, MMDCEs, ministers and other high office holders keep falling over themselves following our vice president everywhere he went.
They attribute this to moneycracy. The man is the vice president and he can ask political office holders to follow him to functions. And when the party elects flag bearer will it be wrong for him to go campaigning with political office holders?
Today, Bawumia’s role in digitalization, is attributed to some other persons and the question is what was the role of the vice president here? He could have proposed to IT experts, his dream of digitalization.
These experts came out with ways by which Ghanaians can perform duties in the comfort of their homes. It has never happened in this country that one could apply for passport, pay bills and many others by using his lap top or mobile phone.
Another strength that the NPP can use to break the eight, is demonised by party members who do not want Bawumia on the ballot.
When one is talking about food production, one cannot leave out Dr Owusu AfriyieAkoto. Forget about the high cost of foodstuff in urban environments like the capital. The current Agric minister, Hon Dr. Bryan Acheampong, was shocked when he encountered the fruits of Dr Akoto’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). Bryan was shown a big crate of tomatoes going for GH¢400.00, what could go for GH¢4,000.00 in the capital.
Visiting Ejura, recently, I was sold five large salted tilapias (koobi) for GH¢100.00.Each of them is bigger than the size of grilled tilapia sold for at least GH¢80.00 in Accra. In Accra a small piece of koobi about a fifth the size of a large koobi in Ejura market, can go for GH¢15.00. Maize went for GH¢15.00/amerika. Cost of foodstuffs were unbelievably low in the hinterlands, but once they get to urban areas the prices hit the skies.
Instead of finding out why foodstuffs prices get multiplied many times over when they arrive in Accra, party members who do not want Dr Akoto on the presidential ballot, are all over destroying him.
Ghana has been enjoying trade surpluses for the first time in this Fourth Republic from 2020. And this became largely because of 1D1F and PFJ, and yet the very campaign weapons to be used to effectively break the eight, are rubbished by some NPP members, because they do not like this or that person to lead the party in 2024.
After all is done and a flag bearer is elected, how can the Party unite and go into battle to break the eight? The opposition parties will use the same words of the NPP members to punch holes in the party’s campaign message.
Disunity, cost the party, 2008 and some people have not learnt any lessons.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
