NPP displayed "intellectual and mental laziness" in election 2012 - Pianim

Kwame Pianim says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) needs the courage to confront defeat because “it is good for democracy and the nation”.

The Presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo is before the Supreme Court disputing the 2012 presidential election results that saw President John Mahama emerging winner.

But the veteran politician and investment consultant in an exclusive interview with Africawatch magazine blamed the NPP national executives for exhibiting what he termed as “intellectual and mental laziness”.

He insists the party is heading in the wrong direction.

“I think the national executives should reconsider doing the work we have voted them to do, or leave for others to take over,” he stressed.

He said “when the results of an election are announced, we should be ready to accept the results no matter how bitter... the interests of individual members and those of the party sometimes differ.

“Nana Akufo-Addo technically ceased to be the leader of the NPP on Dec. 9 after the declaration of the results by the electoral commissioner. The NPP as a group is not party to the case pending at the Supreme Court... the case is still the act of three individual members of the party.

“Until the Supreme Court reverses the declared results of the 2012 elections, all Ghanaians, including NPP members, must fully recognise President Mahama as the legitimate Head of State of the republic and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces”.

Mr. Pianim added that “the boycott [of the President’s inauguration] somehow portrayed the NPP executives as confused people”.

He continued that “some of these self-appointed spokespersons of the NPP seem to talk anyhow. Their demeanor and arrogant utterances tend to turn off people from the NPP. They are part of our problem and did not help us in the elections”.

Kwame Pianim added that “I think by making a fuss about the court case, the NPP is losing the opportunity to really do a proper review of our performance, which is important for the future successes of our party.”

Mr. Pianim also admonished members of the party to “stop branding the party as a Danquah-Busia tradition. By calling the party Danquah-Busia tradition, it gives some people in the party the false impression that there is a family stool in the party and that they are entitled to inherit.

“It is saddening to see what is going on within the NPP. We need to pull back and reset the button of rebuilding the party,” he advised.