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Opinions of Thursday, 10 October 2013

Columnist: Appiah, Lawrence

NPP Going One; NPP Going Two; NPP Going……

I write this article and dedicate it to sympathizers and those who are leaning NPP. I just want them to know that NPP as a party is running out of gas. Within the next few months, NPP would be like any rotten opposition party with no teeth to bite. My advice to the sympathizers and those leaning NPP is to leave the party before it goes into coma.
If you listen to the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt, Jr., he says and I quote, “I am worried about the state of the NPP because a democratic dispensation can only work with strong political parties. If you look at the figures of the recent elections, NDC is beginning to make progression in Ashanti. President Kuffour won six regions. Now the NPP is able to win barely in two regions.”
Let me help you as I break some figures down for you. In 2000, Candidate Agyekum Kuffour won 6 out of 10 regions to become President of Ghana. In 2004, President Kuffour won 4 regions to retain his Presidency even though he lost 2 regions to the NDC. In 2008, Candidate Nana Akufo-Addo won 2 regions. NPP lost the Presidency to the NDC. A lot of the Parliamentary seats were also won by the NDC. In 2012, Senior Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo again won only 2 regions. Again, more Parliamentary seats went to the NDC. In 2016, your guess is good as mine.
So if you analyze Kwesi Pratt’s statement and you study the trend of elections in Ghana, no body should tell you to get out of NPP before you become a useless Ghanaian and Politician. NPP is going down fast and you don’t need to go down with it. From the way things are going, NPP will never be able to win three regions in Ghana again and even the two they keep winning will eventually go away. NDC is making Ashanti and Eastern “toss-up” regions, which means any party can win them. The rest of the regions are all NDC strongholds. No doubt about that.
Let me again tell you why the NPP finds it difficult to accept election results when they are defeated. At their Congress in Sunyani in 1998, presidential aspirant, Nana Akufo-Addo said and I quote “Anybody who becomes the NPP’s Presidential Candidate has already secured 30% of the total valid votes. The rest – 20% plus 1, is what the candidate needs to work on to become the President. Failure to achieve this calls for a change in leadership.” This was when candidate Agyekum Kuffour was going for the second time to become the presidential candidate of the NPP. Nana Akufo-Addo was challenging him for the same slot.
This has been the mindset and mentality of the NPP since 1992. That is once a Presidential Candidate; you automatically have 30% of the total valid votes. What the NPP refuses to know is the automatic total valid votes of the NDC Presidential Candidate. You boost of 30% and so the Presidency is for you to lose. You look at only your strength and think that you are the strongest person on earth. I don’t know what to tell the NPP than to tell them not to be wise in their own eyes. They should let Ghanaians tell them they are wise but so far they have not done enough to meet that measure. As I have said earlier, this article is not intended for both NPP and NDC members. It is for those who are leaning or sympathizing with the NPP. I am opening their eyes to something so that they can leave the party before they die with it.
There is also this man called Paul Afoko, who wants to be the Chairman of NPP. His message is that when elected as the party chairman, he would uproot the NDC like cassava. My advice to Paul Afoko is that, as a Northerner, he should fight very hard for recognition in the party before he starts running from one radio station to another with his message. He should go through the list of all the NPP chairmen and see which amongst them was a Northerner. I don’t know how long he has been with the NPP but I will refer him to lessons of Mr. Aliu Mahama and the events that led to his death. As a Northerner in the NPP, if he wants to live long, he should either keep quiet or silently leave the NPP. NPP did not change against Northerners yesterday, they have not changed against Northerners now and they will never change against Northerners in the future. There is a rumor in town that Dr. Mumuni Bawumia will be NPP’s presidential candidate for 2016. That is a joke.
Kwesi Pratt, Jr., said that he is worried about the state of the NPP. I agree with him 100%. NPP is going one; NPP is going two; NPP going….. Those who are leaning or sympathizing with the party should leave it before it becomes like one of the ordinary opposition parties we have in Ghana now. I will not mention names for security reasons.
“In March 2014, when the NDC will be having their Congress and planning how to again win in 2016, the NPP will still be struggling to figure out what went wrong at the Supreme Court and who will lead them to another defeat”

Lawrence Appiah (Protocol)
Public Relations Officer (PRO)
NDC Washington Metro Branch
Appiah65@Hotmail.com