President Mahama is an astute politician and Ghanaians have overwhelmingly voted him to power. His campaign message has been accepted by the greater majority of Ghanaians.
We all welcome him as our President for the four years ahead of us.
For the New Patriotic Party to reclaim its glory in Ghanaian politics, the entire membership of the party should gather to ponder on why 169 parliamentary seats in 2017 has reduced to less than 100 in the 7th December 2024 polls.
Every well-meaning Ghanaian thought the party would learn a lesson from the Party’s decline from 169 Parliamentary seats in 2017 to 137+1 in 2020 and in 2024 less than 100 Parliamentary seat.
I wish to entreat all the Party faithfuls to meet and consider the cause of our woeful defeat this year, 2024, and what the party can do to raise the image of the Party.
SUGGESTIONS
Abolish the Delegate system which the party uses to elect their constituency Executives, Regional Executive, National Executive, Parliamentary candidates; and its Flagbearers.
Encourage all the constituencies to strengthen the card-bearing membership system. All party members should be given ID-Cards; and encourage to pay dues every month. By this, the Constituency executive can assess the true membership of the party within the Constituencies.
When time is due for election, all the card-bearing members will exercise their votes to elect candidates to all positions in the party including the Flagbearer.
Candidates going in for election will have to go round all the constituencies to sell their messages. If the card-bearing members accept the candidates message, they will vote for them without the candidates paying a pesewa.
Many of these people who refused to vote showed apathy. They said, the delegates took money from the candidates before voting for them, so they are also expecting the candidates or the delegates to give them money before voting.
NPP CAMPAIGN TEAMS
During the chairmanship of Mr. F. F. Antoh and Mr. Amankwa, their Constituencies and the Regional Campaign Teams were comprised all past members of Council of Elders; past constituency and regional executive members; to lead constituency campaign team of that particular constituency. If a past National Executive member hailed from that constituency, he was made to join the campaign team of that particular constituency.
In that same way, all past regional executive members were made to join the regional campaign team. Campaign monies were well-controlled and every member of the team became satisfied and aimed at winning for the party.
POLITICAL APPOINTEES
After major reforms have been made for future elections, the Party should amend the way the party deals with the political appointees, especially the MMDCEs and the regional ministers. Do not hero-worship them, because they are supposed to lobby for developmental projects to the regions and districts.
Mamponteng market in the Kwabre-East municipality of the Ashanti region was started by President Kufuor’s administration. When the NDC came into power from 2009 to 2016, they abandoned the project. President Nana Akufo-Addo took over the administration of the country from 2017 to 2024, the market project is still as it was left in 2009. How do you expect citizens in Mamponteng to vote massively for the party?
Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration promised the people of Kumasi five interchanges; Suame, Anloga, Bekwai roundabout, Santasi and Airport roundabout. The people of Kumasi welcomed this promise with happiness and expected their implementation. The regional minister and Kumasi Mayor were the ones who were supposed to lobby for these projects to turn into reality. The regional minister, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah, and the Mayor of Kumasi, Hon. Samuel Pyne, should have lobbied for the completion of the following projects.
- Krofrom market that was started by President Kufuor. The Mills-Mahama administration abandoned it. President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration left the project where President Kufuor left it.
- Nana Agyemang Prempeh I international Airport. The New Patriotic Party has done well to bring the Airport to its present situation; but has not been completed because the extension of the runway is incomplete. This is why the airport is not operating internationally.
- Boankra Inland Port; the internal development of the Boankra inland port is far advance, but until an inland port has been connected to a sea port by a railway line, it cannot be regarded as an inland port. Lobbying for this railway extension was the ultimate duty of the regional minister and the Ejisu MCE who oversees Boankra. Boankra inland port has now become a white elephant. Hon. Peter Amewu, an appointee to the people of Volta region, was able to lobby for the extension of the railway line, from Tema to Mpakadan, across the Volta Lake. Such is expected of every government appointee.
I am writing this piece only to remind the party that, after its reformation, they should keep their eyes on their political appointees and their Members of Parliament. Political appointees lobby for projects for their various electoral areas. The party members should not hero-worship their political appointees.
SERIAL CALLERS AND THE GRASSROOTS ELECTORATE
NPP did not treat their serial callers and the grassroots well. It looked as serial callers were not engaged in the campaign for the 2024 election. They were not able to work for the party on radio and TV stations. Those I interviewed complained that they are not properly taken care of; so many of them defected to join other parties because the NPP simply ignored them.
I am appealing to the National Executive of the New Patriotic Party, to invite them to help in the reformation exercise.
Some may wonder why I have decided to publish these suggestions, instead of directing these suggestions to the party hierarchy. I have on several occasions called many of these appointees but they have refused to take my calls. They have neglected not only the grassroots but the elders of the party who managed the party when the party was in her heydays.
Again, I want to draw the attention of the NPP hierarchy to the fact that General Elections are generally spiritually driven. You may agree with me or not. Three months before the just ended December 2024 elections, somebody from Ejisu area informed me that a certain spiritualist had predicted win for the NPP and predicted 169 parliamentary seats for the NPP.
After Asiedu Nketiah and his NDC members flooded Ashanti Region and left; the same spiritualist called on some NPP members in Ejisu and told them that the victory of the NPP had been overturned; and that they should call the parliamentary candidate at Ejisu for certain spiritual rituals to be performed. They called the NPP parliamentary candidate and the chairman several times but non picked the phone to listen.
Please, after you have reformed the party, MPs must be made aware that they are servant to their electorate and party. Do not hero-worship them to make them swollen headed and disrespect the grassroots who command the greater votes during General Election.
The arrogance of the political appointees is too much; Members of Parliament, some regional chairmen and ministers, MMDCEs were all arrogant and had not respected the grassroots. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES AND CHANGE YOUR HABITS.
ADVICE FOR PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS
Members of the New Patriotic Party with presidential ambition should cease campaigning now. Measures aimed at fostering peace and unity among the grassroots is the most important issue at the moment. Convincing all members of the NPP to get Party ID-cards, and to contribute a token towards the development of the party should be the party’s number one strategy in the reformation exercise.
Dr. Bawumia and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh should be left undisturbed with counter political reflections.
By Frank Bona-Aboagye,
Former Ashanti Regional Financial Secretary NPP (2014-2018)
