What Does the Two By-elections Reveal About the Two Major Political Parties in Ghana?

I would be so much worried and unease at this stage if I were the NDC leader after the recent two by-elections, considering the performance of the governing New Patriotic Party, the euphoric posturing of NPP, the excitement exhibited by its supporters to volunteer and the intense expression of confidence by the government to shake off any difficulties its has gone through or still going through.

This show of strength really worth commending the New Patriotic Party for.

Why, because, upon all the difficulties this NPP government has suffered, stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine/Russia war and their global economic effects, the squeaking cacophonic noise we heard from the "FixTheCountry" groups, the uncontrollable depreciation of the Ghana Cedi against the US dollar in particular at a certain time, the drop of GDP growth from 7% to 0.5% in 2020/21 due to the lockdowns and Borders closure, the fuel high prices at the pumps due to high oil price on world market, the high inflationary rate on our markets causing vegetable oil prices to increase from GH600 to GH1,500 in less than a week, etc.

With all these, if the New Patriotic Party still appeared very strong and was able to compete with the NDC squarely at by-elections in Ghana and performed very well, not been disgraced with any humiliating results, then that must pose a huge danger to its opponents, looking at the general elections ahead.

This point must be viewed from the fact that the NPP govt still have about one and half years to improve things before the general elections. The NPP appears as quite strong force to reckon with.

Politically, this isn't good indications for the opposition party.

The fact is, though some Ghanaians are very disappointed with some happenings and certain decisions by the govt, but generally, the majority of Ghanaians are not necessarily angry at the NPP and its government, and the probable reasons are that, they appreciate that whichever hardship or the economic challenge Ghana has faced are not actually caused by the inability, or the incompetence or the ineptitude of the leadership of the government itself but due to the economic tragedy that bedevilled the world, from Covid and the effects of the Ukraine war.

In fact, from the agitations of the FixTheCountry group, to the fuel prices hike, to the cedi depreciation; it got to a point that everyone believed that the NPP wouldn't even get a 30% votes if general election was held at that time. But Ghanaians can attest to the fact that things have steadily improved in the last few months.

From the backdrops of these, the NDC must be worried. The NDC must embrace itself for a possible defeat again at a general election in 2024. The NPP appears very determined to break the eight.

One can juxtapose that, if you look at the glaring anger and disappointment seen on the faces of Ghanaians in last two years before the NDC exited power, the anger stemming from the long term persistent, irregular, and unpredictable power outages, the lost of factory jobs, the depreciation of the cedi, the hopelessness exhibited by John Mahama government, the yentie obiara attitude, plus the dead-goat syndrome of John Mahama, the NDC knew for sure that they have lost power over two years before the 2016 general elections.

The NPP govt today doesn't appear suffering from similar strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence of Ghanaians in general as compared what NDC faced leading to their loss in 2016. That to me, is a very good sign for the New Patriotic Party if the government could continue with the good works to significantly overturn the economy, as all indicators have began showing positive signs.

That must give the NPP a huge hope and confidence of breaking the eight.

Another significant thing the NPP must show going into 2024, is a strong front and unity after the presidential and parliamentary primaries.

I personally subscribe to the view that, "if the NPP government cannot do it better, which political party in Ghana can do it better?

The NPP can break the eight!