Professor Mills - A High Risk Presidential Candidate?

It is an undeniable fact that if Professor John Evans Atta- Mills had delivered the Central Region of Ghana to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the December 2004 elections, victory could have been that of the NDC’s. But alas, the Professor failed miserably to deliver his own ‘constituency’ and in the end, had to unfairly consign the NDC to another four years in the ‘political wilderness’.

Knowing the consequences of the inability of a Presidential Candidate to gain the support of his own kith and kin and the negative impact it could have on any such candidate’s effort to ask for another chance, Professor Mills and his supporters did promise an empirical assessment to establish the rationale behind that disastrous performance at Uncle Asomdwehene’s region. I have not heard or seen any such research findings.

Has that research been conducted? If so how impartial or independent was it? And what are the findings? Is the failure to make the report public because its findings points to a personal problem between the people of that region and the learned Professor?

In the absence of that impartial and independent study I am left with no reasonable option than to pose the question whether giving Professor Mills a third shot is a sensible risk to take. And that is the question delegates are asking come December 21, 2006. They are called upon to decide between Mills and three other contenders. Namely Dr. Ekow Spio- Garbrah, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, and Eddie Annan.

My verdict is: Everything we do in life involves some amount of risk-taking but some risks are reasonable others are not. That is why there is what is called risk assessment. And after providing some experts I know in risk assessment with the story of Professor Mills from the Swedru declaration, to the 2000 and 2004 elections especially his rejection by his own people during the last elections, the resounding answer I got from them was: It would be quite suicidal to give Mills the benefit of the doubt or to take a risky gamble. I then asked: not even the fact that he has been marketed very well? The question they posed to me was, is Mills’ party going into battle with an incumbent President? When I answered in the negative, their unanimous reply was. ‘It does not matter; because that party (NPP) would be presenting a new candidate any way.

When I match that answer against what some political observers of the Ghanaian political landscape said to me, i.e. that, the Central Region has demonstrated that it is one region where any candidate that fails to make a respectable showing there during presidential elections, fights a losing battle in a bid to be made the Chief Executive of Ghana, I thought I owe it a duty to advise delegates that the prudent thing to do is to look at the other three options we have who are all capable of leading the NDC to victory and bringing prosperity to mother Ghana.

But because it’s a contest and in every contest there has to be a clear winner, I will ask congress to settle on Dr Ekow Spio- Garbrah who has the undisputable capability of bringing the NDC back to power and also making Ghana the shinning star of Africa and an international icon.

Any thing shot of that I am afraid could cost the NDC badly leaving in its wake another four years of misery, pain and nightmares.