The face of God and another miserable defeat for the NPP

Kwabena Nyamekye

It is one thing terrorizing your party, demanding the suspension of those who disagree with you and sending your pistoleros armed with clubs and knives to disrupt meetings and to take over offices. It is another persuading the voters during a by-election that you lead a good team that can be entrusted with power.

Ever since the NPP Hooting Brigade began to muscle in on the key positions in the party, starting with the NPP Delegates Congress at Legon in 2005, it has been 10 years of agony for the NPP with, in my view another 12 years of agony to come. We will lose 2016, 2020 and 2024 all because we have been in the grip of a faction that cannot govern, cannot reconcile and knows only insults, gunpowder and suspensions as a tool to reconcile internal dissent. Not surprisingly therefore, the general public has worked us out as carrying the mark of divisiveness and want very little to do with us as a result.

Looking back from the recent by-election at Amenfi West, what is strange is why anyone in the current NPP thought for one second that the voters were going to support our candidate. In the 4th Republic, since 2008 when JA Kufuor relinquished power NPP has done nothing but lose at every turn. Take out the 2008 election first round lead that we had, and Wulensi, Chereponi, Talensi and Amenfi West by-elections show a miserable track record for us in opposition. The only place there has been any success is in Atiwa where our candidate in 2010. I was not surprised at this turn of events since during the 2008 presidential run-off we increased our vote in Eastern region by a “glorious” O.3% of the vote.

When the party was run by Kufuor, when it was united, an oasis of peace and unity our by-election history was different: Ablekuma, Kumawu, Gomoa, Navrongo Central and Fomena were our constituencies that we retained. We even captured seats from the NDC - these being Bimbilla and Amenfi West in 2003 and when we contested Amoateng’s seat in a by-election in Nkoranza in the wake of the scandal attached to his name we still retained it. We were an unstoppable force – led by a great statesman, capable of bringing his rivals under one loving roof, soft in voice and tone, yet a formidable and inspirational leader and thus it was joy to be in the NPP as we romped from victory to victory. Then in 2008 things changed - the “Hooting Brigade”,” Agenda 2020”, “Sammy Crabbe is a Mole”, “Hajia Fati’s broom”, “we have lost all swing regions”, “wheelchair”,” I can’t work with Asumasi” battalion seized control of our great party! Since then it has been defeat after defeat.

I blame God’s face for our woes.