Opinions of Tuesday, 9 January 2024

Columnist: Anthony Obeng Afrane

The NPP has become dross

NPP flag NPP flag

There are unprecedented expressions of frustration with the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia rule.

The NPP government is behaving with astonishing irresponsibility. They seem to have sacrificed themselves to the gods of incompetence and selfishness; it is uncomfortably close to the truth that most of those whose investments have been affected by the government's domestic debt exchange program and the suffering unemployed youth will vote against them in this year's elections, and the interesting thing is that family and friends of these investors are likely to join in inflicting a painful defeat.

Generally, Ghanaians are worried about the state of affairs in the country, and anyone who says he is not worried is lying; the NPP has become pathetically unpopular, but it is becoming absolutely clear that the ruling party wants to cringe to party at all costs, and some people suspect that they want to use some apish tricks or strategies to hold on to power.

But having read between the lines long enough, there are reasonable and probable grounds to point out that the anger of the electorate in Ghana will be of nuclear proportions in 2024, and nothing will stop the Elephant from going back into the bush. The time has come to let the NPP know that there is a red line beyond which they must not cross and that consequences will flow if they do.

They are standing on a pedestal of deception, and will soon be unmasked. A quote from Eric Tang will be relevant here: “You will lose the trust of people when you lie. You also lose your value as a person when they find out the truth.”

The people of Ghana have found out the truth and nothing will save the NPP from disgrace, and given the constant diet of crippling criticisms by Ghanaians against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, failure is most definitely an option for the NPP in 2024 despite the strategies they have up their sleeves.

Yahya Jammeh, The Gambian authoritarian president of 22 years, suffered a surprise defeat in the country's presidential elections when the citizens were fed up and decided to stand up against him.

Not even a crackdown on opposition leaders months before the polls, the banning of international observers or post-election demonstrations, and then the switching off of the internet could save him.