NPP, the Cracks are widening

One may find many reasons, to condemn the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but there is one thing, one good thing that this party exhibits that excels it above all others and it is, its unity of purpose.

No matter how it may seem, that the NDC is cracking apart, during elections, members set aside their differences and unite to make the party strong. The party is quick to take lessons from divisions within it prior to the 2000 General Elections with a breakaway that went to form the National Reform Party.

Probably the NDC could have won the 2000 elections, but for splitting of votes with the NRP candidates which made NPP candidates to sail through to win the seats.

Since then, the NDC has been on guard and would do anything to stay united and focus during election years.

So, it was when its founder Jerry John Rawlings wanted to impose his wife on the party as flagbearer for the 2012 General Elections, the NDC united strongly to denounce the Rawlingses. That was unity of purpose, which is so beautiful to observe.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the other hand seems to adopt the culture where cracks and divisions will lay waste the party’s chances at the polls. Before and after the presidential and parliamentary candidates have been elected, divisions would still prevail in the party. So, that the side that one belonged to, could decide his chances at the polls. And some NPP gurus could go all out and make sure that the party’s candidates lose at the polls.

Even when H.E. J. A. Kufuor won the Sunyani presidential primaries in 1998 and was leading the NPP into the 2000 General Elections, some NPP gurus did all they could to have him replaced in 1999.

The cracks in the NPP started becoming more prominent from 2008, when some parliamentary candidates were branded Alanites and all was done to make them lose their seats.

Soon, candidates were imposed upon the constituencies and the cracks widen. After a sound foundation had been laid through hard works by Paul Afoko’s administration, the NPP won 169 seats in 2016. Then imposition galore opened up and in 2020 when wrong candidates were imposed on the party, the NPP lost 32 seats in the House.

Come 2024, and the same mistakes were committed, this time there were attacks on Alan and his supporters. The party’s General Secretary, JFK, stormed into office in 2022 with a strong warning that any party officer or government appointee who openly campaigned for any aspirant would be disciplined. It only turned out that only those who openly backed Alan Kyerematen were severely disciplined. Those who openly backed Dr. Bawumia were left off the hook.

Alan and those who supported him were treated like enemies of the party. It was really rough on some people. Just like what happened in 2008, but this time, none of his supporters were beaten up.

And the cracks kept widening. Soon, Alan left the NPP, the party he helped founded. And the imposition of PCs which made the party lose seats in 2020 became the order of the day.

Alan’s departure trusted a sword into the heart of the party, but people were made to believe that nothing would change and the NPP was on the agenda to break the eight.

Elections 2024 came and NPP lost 49 seats and was down to 88 seats in Parliament.

Two million party supporters just refused to go and vote and that let the NPP down.

Alan’s departure made a lot of people lose faith in the party and they decided not to show up at the polls. They felt Alan was not on the ground and so they would not go out and waste their votes and NPP became the loser.

Instead of learning lessons and uniting with brotherly love, the road to 2028 has began with the NPP still at war with each other. This time Alan is not going to be around so, there must be someone to hang. And the lot had fallen on Kennedy Agyapong.

Social media had turned against him and he is being blamed for all problems in the NPP. The decision is to make him unpopular. First, Ghanaians were told that he disliked Alan and so chose to contest the presidential primaries just to make break Alan’s front. And we are told that H.E. Kufuor made Kennedy to be rich but he instead condemned the old man.

But why do these people turn things round when, they rejoiced when Kennedy condemned President Kufuor and also were glad when they felt his entering the primaries would break Alan’s front. Today, they are only courting sympathy from pro Alanites still in the party.

While these things are going on, the cracks in the NPP are widening and so what could obviously happen is that a lot more party faithful could join the two million supporters and stay away from the polls, come 2028.

The NDC is good at uniting especially when it matters most, that is the unity of purpose. The NPP on the other hand, there are break-ups and sell-outs when it matters most.

And it looks like lessons are not yet learnt, with unnecessary attacks on Kennedy Agyapong. And in all this where are the elders of the party?

Hon. Daniel Dugan

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

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