There is one thing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lacks, but which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) exhibits beautifully, and it is Unity of Purpose. Check: During election campaigning, once the NDC selects a parliamentary candidate, even if in the midst of barbaric conducts, the whole party will unite behind the chosen one and fight hard for him or her to win the seat.
This is quite different in the NPP, where even before the constituents decide on who is to lead the party in the constituency, powers that be may go and handpick someone and impose him or her on the noble party faithful.
One will hear of statements like, this one is the preferred choice from the presidency and so he or she is the one to go. Meanwhile the party faithful on the ground prefer someone else.
This breeds confusion and division and when the powers that be have their way, there is the likelihood that the party could lose the seat, out of apathy or angered NPP members voting against the chosen one.
It is even more bizarre when the parliamentary candidate is not preferred by the powers that be.
There have been occasions when the constituency chairman would go further to destroy candidate to the regional chairman and other executives. The regional chairman would also go on to destroy the candidate to the national chairman who would further demolish the candidate to the presidential candidate.
There is possibly one instance when the presidential candidate was forced not to visit that candidate’s constituency to campaign.
And there was one instance, at least, when due to a sacred vow the constituency chairman took, that over his dead body, would that candidate win the seat, during the collation of results at the poling stations, some loyalists of the chairman who were polling agents, were made to collect some of the votes that should have gone to their party’s candidate and gift them to the NDC candidate.
One stupid way of settling scores because as the votes were being deducted from the NPP candidate same were deducted from the presidential candidate.
Such very demoralising behaviour where NPP will attack NPP is what sunk the party to attain 137 seats in Parliament, with the NDC getting 137 as well. And a candidate whom was attacked by his party but decided to stand independent, won his seat and now sits at table with the NPP in Parliament.
The story of imposition worked against the Party in all the regions and many were those who had the hope that such irresponsible conduct will not be repeated in 2024. The belief was so until the story of Sege Constituency in the Greater Accra hit the headlines.
First, a story broke, that the immediate past parliamentary candidate had been suspended by the constituency executive committee due to insubordination. No further indicting reasons were given.
The past candidate, Eunice Lasi, had this to say. The constituency executives presented another person, as the choice from Jubilee House who was going to become the next parliamentary candidate.
Then the constituency organized a health walk of which Eunice was invited and she respectfully attended.It was during the walk that the agenda was revealed to her. The choice of Jubilee House dressed in NPP royal robes was going to be installed as the new PC at the end of the walk.
Eunice knew the intention of the constituency executives. She was made to join the coronation of her successor when nothing has been discussed with her. She would be made to sit down while the constituency executives presented the new guy as the official PC for the constituency.
Eunice Lasi quickly organised another set of brass band and it sung to her glorification. And this was where the constituency executive took great offense and suspended her.
That the NPP has never won in Sege, should be the more reason why care must be taken not to create electoral apathy among party faithful there, so that the party’s presidential votes are well protected.
Looking at Eunice’s performance in the 2020 elections, it is obvious that she could be that person who could snatch the seat from the NDC for the first time.
In 2004 when the constituency was created, NDC candidate won 54.9% of the valid votes cast with NPP getting 16.7%. In 2008, the NDC secured 79.55% with NPP getting 18.48%; in 2016, the NDC won with 55.75% and NPP had 43.15%. In 2016, the NDC won with 53.48% and 1,927 votes difference against NPP’s 45.71%.
Eunice entered the race in 2020 the NDC candidate secured 52.50% and 1,792 votes difference against the NPP’s 47.05%.
In Sege, the current Regional Chairman, Divine Agorhom, contested the seat thrice rising from 18.48% in 2008 to 45.71% by 2016. This remarkable feat was increased as Eunice clocked 47.05% to edge closer to the 50% +1, mark.
And just as the party allowed Chairman Agorhom to contest the seat thrice, if Eunice is allowed that privilege, maybe she could snatch the seat for the party.
Unfortunately, someone thinks there should be another and this can create serious division with the result of the Party losing miserably.
The National Executive Committee must quickly look into the Sege case, or many of such cases will erupt all over the country and NPP will be the loser.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
