Tuesday, January 7, 2025 was a wonderful day in this God blessed our homeland, called Ghana. Tuesday is the most special and precious day to our Almighty Lord God, because it is the only day in creation that He blessed twice. Those who out of jealousy and want to doubt this can freely read the creation story in Genesis 1: 1-31, 2:1-3. Tuesday was the only day, that God made two different sets of creation and twice blessed that day. Because of Tuesday, by Saturday all of creation had been completed and God took a holy rest.
On January 7, Tuesday merged with Saturday in the person of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, the Donald Trump of our nation. Tuesday has brought a double blessing to our country and with a Saturday on the throne, we look forward to a relaxing four years of John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
H.E. John Dramani Mahama gave a good speech and he must be applauded for that. But what Ghanaians need to do, is that in this second and final era of JDM’s reign, we must stop that destructive attacks on government but when we need to criticize it must be constructive. No more reckless attacks on government and persons.
I pray that whenever any person or groups of persons, institutions and what have you, would want to take government on, the words must be in decorum, with good suggestions that can help the progress of this country.
Ghana is thirty-two years in this Republic, but we are yet to experience any positive growth in democracy and progress. Thirty-two long years. In fact, we should be in the same state which the USA, UK and others are in, where it will not matter which government is in power, life still goes on and everybody is fine and okay.
If we can use this opportunity God has given us, H.E. John Dramani Mahama would become one of the best presidents of this republic and of Africa. Ghana is for all of us and we must contribute to make her great and strong. We must not sit and watch government going wrong and curse it with words like, “they say, they can do it, so leave them to do it,” and “after deceiving Ghanaians, they are now exposing themselves.” Irrespective of who or what we are, we must know that Ghana is for all of us and we must help this government, any government to make things right.
Welcome back, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, we all wish you a good and successful stay.
The New Patriotic Party has gone back to opposition and it should be a lesson to a party of the UP Tradition. Whatever went wrong? Free SHS to enable students from poor families to get their education to secondary level. But it seems the beneficiaries were not pleased.
Six regions were created and Oti which has been petitioning for a separate region from the Ewes in the south, since the days of Dr. K.A. Busia of the Progress Party regime, had their desire met by Nana Addo. Yet when it came to elections, Oti and three other regions showed ingratitude to Nana Addo and his NPP government. Infrastructures par excellence sprang up across the country, but people seem not to see. What could be the problem? Well, it is said that, poverty in the midst of plenty is the worse to endure.
Some of what could be the problem can be attributed, firstly to how the NPP was managed. It looked like when Nana Addo assured Ghanaians that NPP has the men, he chose not to include them in his administration, because they would stand up and tell him as it is. Therefore, anyone who held a diverse opinion was regarded an enemy of government and party. Why did BoakyeAgyarko, OtikoDjaba and Gloria Akuffo go the way they went? With that even the aged around the ex-president weighed and calculated what they said or did. The Institution was established.
The greats like H.E. J.A. Kufuor, Kwadwo Mpiani, Nyaho Tamaklo were classified as non-entities. At the last rally before the elections, when Kufuor was talking, I noticed that those who belong to the Institution and were on the stage, were so agitated and would have pushed the Old Man away if that could not disregard protocol and disrespect to the statesman. Yes, anyone in NPP who dared to speak out boldly to say the emperor had no cloths on, when indeed that was the case, were branded outcasts.
On two separate funerals, I was accosted by two prominent members of the Institution with these words, “As for you, you are always in the opposition” and “You are not one of us, you are not on the list.” How sad to hear words like these coming from people who we all together helped bring up NPP during those dark and dangerous days of the early nineties.
All the same what made NPP descend from 169 seats in Parliament in 2017 to 137 seats in 2021? When Paul Afoko was national chairman, he insisted that no parliamentary candidate would be imposed on a constituency, something H.E. J.A. Kufuor openly instructed in 2004. Even though, Paul was unconstitutionally dismissed from his position with two others, Sammy Crabbe and Kwabena Agyapong, the NPP was firmed and united in 2016 and went into the General Elections, very strong.
The Institution brought in a CPP guru, Freddie Blay, who had no love for the UP Tradition, to head the party, for six years, first as acting chairman for two years and the substantive chairman years. And in 2020, with reckless impositions of parliamentary candidates, NPP fell from 169 seats to 137.
The Institution rightly instituted a committee led by Hon. Yaw Sarfo-Maafo to find out what actually went wrong. It is obvious that the larger party supporters out there came out with the truth. When the report was ready, all in NPP wanted to know what caused this poor performance. We were told, the findings were too explosive to reveal, so the report was kept under someone’s bed.
The wrongs which could be addressed were left untouched and the impositions and other wrong things continued. Come, 2024, a third of the NPP supporters decided to get rid of this irresponsible conduct in the party and so, they simply stayed at home. Now NPP has gone down to 89 seats in Parliament.
Information that is being gathered is revealing that among the reasons for the actions of those who stayed away, was the disappointment of how the Institution treated Alan Kyerematen to make him leave the party so they gave up on the NPP. They held the belief that Alan was not going to win and they would not want to waste their votes, so they stayed put. If these over 2 million NPP supporters had linked up, Alan would have had over 2 million votes with 15.86%, JDM will secured 47.71% and DMB will be second with 35.11%. A run-off would be required to separate the top two and Alan would be the kingmaker and highly respected.
At any rate, God took His own decision and allowed the third John to come back and complete his work. Meanwhile, the Elephants led by the Elephas Maximus Borneensis, have according to Arthur Kennedy, gone back to the bush.
The only way, these giants can come back, is to destabilize the Institution and made all card-bearing members take decisions concerning the NPP. More later.
Welcome again, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, may the Good Lord God send His angels to protect you and your government. Stay blessed, always.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
