Saturday, January 27, 2024, the New Patriotic Party, organised its last general internal elections before Elections 2024. The January 24 primaries for constituencies with sitting MPs, turned out to be fair in one way and unfair in another. There was the Good the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good: In 2020, many parliamentary candidates were imposed on constituencies against the wishes of the constituents. This led to the NPP losing seats in Parliament. Maybe, learning lessons from this, the parliamentary primaries were left to the constituents to decide. There were some constituencies where the sitting MPs, went unopposed.
If the NPP will remain resolute in sustaining this, parliamentary candidates will always be exclusively, chosen by the members in the constituencies and not from outside. They know who can draw votes from the other sides, so as to gain enough votes to win the seat. This is GOOD.
One thing that gave the primaries a spark of hope was what happened at the Bantama constituency. A great showdown was promised by Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, who did his fiery best to convinced the delegates that their MP, Hon. Asenso Boakye was the worse ever and his brother, Ralph was the only choice for them. Ralph also took to the stage and spoke as his brother always did and fired salvos.
All this time, Hon. Asenso Boakye was very quiet and seemed to resort abidingin the House of Lord, because on the primaries’ day, he came out singing praises to God the Most High.
Like the walls of Jericho, which were brought down by music and songs of praise, Hon Asenso Boakye’s songs brought down the Agyapongs and flattened them.He took a commanding 78.22% of valid votes cast, securing 650 votes, while Ralph Agyapong secured 181 or 21.78%.
It is very wrong for people of the same party to come out and destroy each other in public, especially during internal elections. Things said could hurt the party in one way or the other. The elders and top officers of the NPP should crack the whip on any party member who goes to town with another during events leading to internal elections. In my view, whether Ralph Agyapong would have been a better MP than Asenso Boakye is not the issue; it was GOOD the way the results went. My congratulations to Hon. Asenso Boakye. It pays to seek refuge in the Lord.
The Bad: What transpired in Yendi constituency, marred the conduct of the primaries across the country. It means that the party is not fully transformed to hold credible elections. The EC who conducted the elections is saying that the results were not well collated and that they were not declared. Meanwhile, some party official declared the MP. Hon Farouk Mahama, the winner.This is rather unfortunate.
The way two known aspirants, who used to be in Alan’s camp, lost the primaries, tickles the mind of observers to ask who constitute the delegates.
It all happened in Ashanti region, in the Subin and Manhyia North constituencies. The current MP for Subin, Hon. Eugene Boakye Antwi, could acquire only 12.08% of valid votes cast. Was he that unpopular among his constituents to have sunk that low?
In the Manhyia North constituency, a former MP, in the person of Hon. Collins Owusu Amankwah, looked poised to snatch the constituency back. Very appealing, bold and hardworking the two-time MP ended up badly coming last with a mere 15 votes out of 687 votes or 2.18%. At forty-three years old, is this the end of the road for Collins Owusu Amankwah? It is just impossible for a sitting MP and a two-term MP seeking a comeback, to perform so poorly.
What might be the reason? Reports have it that during the elections of polling station executives, who could form not less than 95% of the delegates, some party officials managed to pick and choose who should get the nomination forms. No doubt in some constituencies there were reports of violence.
It came on social media that in one constituency, the party executives got the forms at 11 pm and by dawn, 3 am, all the forms were finished. The law-abiding ones who waited till the office was opened, were disappointed.
If this is the case, then it showed clearly that in the cases above, someone decided who should win the primaries. This does not exhibit democracy in a party known for being truly democratic.
After Elections 2024, the NPP must embark on a clean-up to weed out such communist structures, where results of elections are known years before the election. This policy where some party gurus sitting in armchairs, should decide who should be what in the party, is BAD.
The Ugly: The way moneyocracy has found roots in politics in Ghana is very scary. It is even getting worse. The demands on those seeking office, is now very outrageous. The corruption level at the grassroots is overwhelmingly outclassing the corruption at the top. NPP and NDC are very guilty of this.
Nothing seems to be done to culled these huge demands by delegates before they vote during internal elections. And as party officials, it is their duty to vote during internal elections, so why should they be paid for doing their work.
An American research center, stated that on average, a parliamentary candidate spends GH¢ 8 million, during campaign through toGeneral Elections. This cannot be said to be far from the truth, because if, for primaries alone, aspirants can dole out, GH¢2,000.00 to each delegate,with the number of delegates at say, 500, then GH¢1,000,000.00 is already gone.Mind you, this is only on the day of primaries. Envelopes that exchanged hands during campaign visits are not accounted for, here.
Neither the cost of high capital items like flat screen television, refrigerators, among others. So, if we have three aspirants contesting the ticket, then at least GH¢3,000,000.00 will be splashed on delegates on that day. This amount can go a long way to improve lives in the constituency.
With at least GH¢1,000,000.00 wasted on the day of primaries, the elected parliamentary candidate goes out to meet the people in his or her constituency over a period of a year of campaigning. By Election Day, he would surely cross the GH¢ 8 million, mark. This confirms what the US research center stated, GH¢ 8 million or about $650,000.00 on the average can be spent for campaign.
What can’t this amount do for the community? School block, clinic, pipe borne water, electricity, soft loans to the petty traders and farmers among others. That amount can improve lives.
Today, political office holders are branded as corrupt people. Where is the source of this corruption? Â The aspirant becomes MP, after wasting so much on greedy and corrupt people, it is only natural and logical for him to use any means possible to recoup that amount and even go after more money for his war chest, for the nextelections. The real corrupt people are the delegates and electorates who make such unrealisticdemands on political aspirants.
The money they take, which they may recklessly spend, will be repaid at least ten times more, in form of taxes. And when things are tough, these same people, most of whom do not pay taxes anyway,will blame political office holders.
Corruption in Ghana cannot be minimized if delegates and electorates will continue making such demands on political office holders.
Electoral laws which forbid aspirants to give money out to electorates as a way of influencing votes, must be fully implemented and those who violate this, must be disqualified and punished. The receiver must also be punished.
One excuse for given out money to delegates, is that, that amount is to cover transportation cost. What a laugh!!! GH¢ 2,000.00 for TnT when the cost of moving from one end of the constituency to the other, will not exceed GH¢50.00.
I will advise all the political parties, especially the major ones, NPP and NDC, to halt moneyocracy in politics. The aspirants should be made to pay a fee of say GH¢50,000.00 that will be used on the day of primaries to cater for TnT and other logistics for the delegates. This should be paid directly by the constituency executives to the delegates.
Visits to polling station areas, must attract an amount of not more than GH¢ 500.00 per each area. So, assuming there are one hundred polling stations, an aspirant will spend GH¢ 100,000.00 from campaign to primaries, apart from the stipulated filing fee.
It all started in 1992, when gifts of buta, cutlasses, Wellington boots, matches, oramounts of at most ¢1,000.00 (GH¢ 0.10) were packaged and given to the electorate. Today, we are talking about at least GH¢ 1,000.00 (¢ 10 million) and very expensive items. Tomorrow, the delegate and electorate will be demanding a three-bedroom house.
Democracy is expensive, but the way things are going, if this rot is not checked, it is the nation which will be too expensive to live in.
This is UGLY.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
