body-container-line-1

The Giant Step Towards 2016

By Daily Guide
Opinion The Giant Step Towards 2016
OCT 22, 2014 LISTEN

Nana Akufo-Addo
The search for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer has ended emphatically and the journey to secure power in 2016 has just began and I take this opportunity to congratulate the delegates for keeping faith with Nana since 2008 in spite of the many challenges that have been encountered. Yes “ye nim wo fri tete ampa.'  This victory did not come cheap because to keep faith with delegates over such a long period in spite of the fact that delegates are changed every four years is no mean achievement.  It only confirms an understanding, commitment, expensive and dedicated nurturing process that has been sustained over the years by Nana and his team.

It is true that you cannot reap where you have not sown and Nana deserves the credit for his commitment and dedication to the delegates.  Delegates are complicated and complex human beings whose mandate may be misconstrued by some of those they elect as the recent Tamale mandate seems to suggest.

I pray that Nana will keep the faith and recognise the bond of loyalty that has been established as an obligation between his Presidency and the delegates, especially their welfare, when God willing he mounts the 'throne of King Solomon' in 2017.

I also congratulate Alan Kyerematen and Francis Addai-Nimoh for their courage and competitive spirit in spite of the suggestive results of the Special Congress which rendered this election a mere formality.  To question their decision to contest will be unfair because they are seasoned politicians but will suffice to say that the spitting of venom and insults by advisers and communicators, as if to settle personal scores with the opponent never wins votes.  In addition, there are no floating voters in internal NPP elections.

To accuse Nana of 'vote buying' is surprising considering its demonstration in Tamale and besides Nana's victory was never in doubt and therefore he was not under any compulsion to buy votes.  The alleged 'vote buying' was a timely intervention to prevent a low voter turnout which was being orchestrated to deny Nana the anticipated landslide victory and the intervention needs commendation and not condemnation.  When Jake proposed the decentralisation of the Tamale Congress to save money for other party activities, he was called names by those at the helm of affairs today.  Yes, the spirit of voluntarism is dead and to those unaware, it was guillotined in 2008 by the opulence of the 17 presidential aspirants in the face of the poverty stricken delegates.  Voluntarism must be revived because it is important in all political activities.

With the conclusion of the primaries, the wish of many supporters of the NPP is that the party forges a united front for the task ahead.  To my mind this should not be too difficult to achieve since those who are calling for unity today are the very people who started to sow the seed of disunity as far back as the Tamale Congress.

The fact is that the NPP has not been split poles apart as some detractors will like Ghanaians to believe because any party whose delegates vote 94.3% to elect its leader cannot be judged as a divided party.

Within the NPP, the factor of disunity exists in the minds and hearts of those who detest anything Akuffo Addo and their determination to clandestinely frustrate him from winning the general elections. The strategy is to confuse the general public about the unity of the party, the credibility and health status of Nana.  My appeal to the anti-Akuffo Addo elements within the party is to have a change of mind and heart and genuinely support Nana because the power he is seeking will be for the NPP and once this is done, the issue of disunity will cease to exist.  To contemplate leaving the party will not be advisable - the examples of Goosie Tanoh, Obed Asamoah, Mrs. Rawlings in the NDC and Dr. Wereko Brobbey of NPP are nothing to write home about.

On reconciliation, Nana, in humility, has already extended the olive branch to all party members to join him whether they supported him or not and this right must be exercised without conditions and inhibitions but not as 'Trojan horses.'   Nana must endeavour to bring everyone on board but should not be bogged down by the stubbornness of some of his opponents since 'you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink.'

What stands between the NPP and victory in 2016 are Electoral Reforms and the effective organisation and management of the polling stations. NPP must devote much time and resources to deal with this menace and not tantrums and arrogance of spoilt adults.

For electoral reforms, my beef is with the existing electoral laws and the interpretations given to them by some Supreme Court Judges.  The main issues for the petition were six but the contentious ones were three, namely over-voting, no biometric verification and no signature of presiding officers.

Unfortunately, C I 75- Public Election Regulations 2012 do not have solutions to these issues.

On over-voting, the Presiding Judge stated 'the scenario where the number of ballots in the ballot box exceeds the number of ballot papers issued to the relevant polling station does not constitute over-voting.'  What does it constitute then?  Again the Presiding Judge on no signature of presiding officers stated, 'It is judicially acknowledged that failure to sign an official document could be due to an administrative error.'  Can the failure to sign the 'pink sheets' always be considered as an administrative error?

Justice Ansah, one of the Supreme Court Justices, in his ruling on 'no signature of presiding officers' stated, 'The duty cast on the presiding officers to sign the declaration was couched in mandatory terms and deserves obedience and not meant to be disobeyed.  An election much more so, presidential elections are serious matters governed by well laid rules to preserve sanctity and integrity of the elections, especially where a specific duty is imposed on election officials.

A breach of any of those duties meant the integrity of the election was compromised and ultimately affected the exercise of the right to vote as well as jeopardizing the sovereign will of the people.'

Justice Ansah, I give you the general salute on your brilliant exposé.

The excerpts clearly highlight the existence of worrying issues that can only be resolved through reforms but with Dr. Afari-Gyan and his Operational Director still in office, I doubt if any serious reform will take place.

The flawed Voter Register plus the recent registration, which is going to be displayed and in two years another registration will add more names.  Only God knows what register will be used in 2016.  Ghanaians have never experienced the practice of the basic decencies of civilised society and therefore Dr Afari Gyan can choose to remain in office in spite of his embarrassment but Ghanaians must fight for the right thing to be done.

The NDC General Secretary, Asiedu Nketia on 29 th August, 2014 on Myjoyonline.com stated that 'the NDC has taken precautionary measures to avert another long drawn election petition in the future.'  Is the NDC now the Electoral Commissioner (EC) or the Chief Justice?  He added that the NDC has learnt 'to dine with the devil' and 'will use a long spoon' this time round.  Yes he can afford to speak in parables but next time round he may not be so lucky to dine with his bare fingers.  The EC and his Operational Director Mr. Sulley must be removed from office because they pose a security threat to our peace and democracy.

Yes, elections are won or rigged at the polling stations and after the Supreme Court petition trial, no one needs to remind the NPP of the difficult task ahead.  However, organising and managing the polling stations effectively will be meaningless unless it is linked with the total support of Ghanaians.  In my last article, I referred to the inauguration speech of President John F. Kennedy of the US on 20th January, 1961, which states, 'ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'  In effect, ask yourself what you can do to help NPP remove this incompetent and corrupt Government to put an end to your suffering.

If anyone enters your house through the back door, that person does so with the intent to steal your property.  Similarly, if any group of people steal your votes to come to power, they have come through the back door and will surely steal your money as it is happening today. Ghanaians must save the motherland from the 'greedy bastards.'

By Brig. (Rtd) J. Odei
 

body-container-line