..to mobilise their members.

By Seidu Kpebu

On the 11th of Novemebr 2011 in London, at a fundraising dinner dance, the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Afriyie (a.k.a. Sir John) announced to party members that the party had recruited five hundred thousand people (500,000) across Ghana to mobilse their members to come out and register during the biometric registration exercise.

With hindsight, I am beginning to question the official line of the NPP scribe. He explain that those recruited will move from house to house and from shop to shop to encourage people to go and register. He also said most of their supporters are traders who will not want to leave their businesses behind to go and register.

Therefore those recruited will go and relieve the traders, they will take care of their shops/wares to enable them go and register. To implement this project according to Sir John, the NPP will need Ghc5 billion or £3 million to pay the wages of the 500,000 people recruited.

Every political party recruits people for political activities including monitoring voter registration and elections. The practice is not new, infact, all parties are involved in recruitment now.

What raises concern however is the reasons given for the recruitment. Sir John's explanation that the people they have employed will go and relieve shop owners to go and register does not make sense. I do not reckon a business man or shop owner will entrust his business into the care of a complete stranger to go and stay in a queue for God knows how many hours to register.

The possible explanation is that these people were recruited for a different purpose but not to take care of people's shops whilst they are at the registration centres. The recent violent clashes across the country lends credence to the fact that the NPP may have recruited these people to ensure that they maximise the number of their members registering. By so doing, they will move mountains to ensure that only their members get the opportunity to register.

At that same event, Sir John said that the presidential candidates need about seven (7) million votes to win the election at the first round. According to him, if the NPP is able to mobilise seven (7) million people to register, then the December elections will only be for the NPP to lose.

I believe this explains the desperation of the New Patriotic Party in the ongoing registration exercise. In view of this, they have to register 7 million of their members "at all cost". The only way they can register this number is when their supporters are prepared to die to ensure they achieve this figure after all "all die be die".

I have observed the behaviour of the NPP in the ongoing registration exercise and it is very striking that desparation is taking a better part of their judgement. They will cause chaos and turn round to blame their opponents. Sadly enough, they also introduced impunity into their politics. They behave as though there are no laws, institutions, parties and human beings in Ghana. Paradoxically, they hold themselves as the bearers of rule of law yet are the worse violators of the laws and institutions.

The desparation to register 7 million of their people has also clouded the judgement of Nana Akufo Addo who has not insisted on 'cool hearts' during the registration of voters. He is the flag-bearer and must be seen to be a peace-brocker.

From what I have seen so far during the ongoing registration exercise, I am tempted to conclude that these 500,000 people may have been recruited to cause havoc to ensure that they register 7 million people. It appears they have realised that the biometric register will not favour them at the Decemebr polls, hence the pandemonion we are seeing now.

The NPP is repeating the very mistakes they made in 2008. They are again putting up the arrogant posture, the obscene lies and doublestandards. It is alleged that they elected Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey because he can mastermind chaos and violence to create disaffection in the government just as he did in 2000. Going by this assertion therefore, one can say that they recruited the 500,000 people for their volatile and lethal agenda.

The NPP is adopting the antagonistic strategy of the Tea Party in America. Little do they know that the popularity of the tea party is fast wanning. A recent Post-ABC news poll reads: "a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds waning interest in the political movement and a drop in the number of women giving positive reviews of its message."

Their antagonistic posture led to the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Agyapong making the reckless statement last Friday on Oman FM (his private radio station). He has declared that Gas and Ewes in Ashanti be annihilated. In fact, this is not the first time the gentleman is uttering vituperations. He insulted northerners when he had an issue with Alhaji Bature. Unfortunately, the NPP's statement rather justifies his utterances and not condemning it as the media wants us to believe.

The charge of treason and felony preferred against Kennedy Agyapong by the police will not solve the ingrained problem of ethnocentrism. The Assin North MP is only a type, representing the mindset of a group. This will definitely affect the electoral fortunes of the NPP if distinguish people within the party do not speak up and clearly condemn this genocidal statement.

Sadly though that the Ghanaian youth will allow themselves to be used not productively but for violent "all die be die" purpose. The NPP is following in the footsteps of their allies abroad, using blackmail, half-truths, agitations, antagonisms, extreme deceit and scaremongering to achieve their political ambition. Ghanaians must take note of all these strategies which will be rolled out in significant measures in the coming months.

seidu@gfmradio.com Read more exclusives at: www.kpebumediacomms.com