What Is The Coefficient Of Nana's Victory?  

Nana Akufo Addo

I begin today's piece by lampooning our first President, Dr Kwame Okro. At long last, the battle has ended; and the Great Elephant is free from internal squabbles, at least for now.

After a short but bitter struggle for the flagbearership slot of the Elephant, the dust has finally settled. It's no longer news that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was the victor. He has for the third consecutive time won the mandate of the delegates to lead the Elephant into yet another crucial election.

Nana Addo's victory was not a surprise to many. That he will win the contest was a foregone conclusion. Even his competitors, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Francis Addai-Nimoh, knew they were racing against the tide. One could not be faulted for saying they knew they were fighting a losing battle. It was more than obvious that only a miracle could make them win the contest.

Indeed, the results proved us right. Nana Addo gave his competitors a drubbing. He polled a little over 95% of the valid votes cast, leaving less than 5% for the two to scramble over. It was an emphatic victory!

Nana Addo has subsequently chosen Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate. Like the delegates who reposed confidence in him for the third time, Nana Addo has also reposed confidence in Bawumia for the third consecutive time, after partnering him in the 2008 and 2012 polls.

Unlike in 2008 when Bawumia's selection was met with strong opposition, it was this time accepted by all those who matter in the party. If there were any dissenting voices, we did not hear them. And why wouldn't they be silent? Dr Bawumia's competence as an economist and his performance during the Supreme Court hearing are ample testament to the fact that he would be an efficient and effective Vice President, if he so occupies the seat.

But that can only be possible if Nana Addo wins the 2016 polls against President Baloney. The mess we are all witnessing today attests to the fact that President Baloney is incompetent. That notwithstanding, no one can deny the fact that he is a very formidable opponent. If we are to go by what we witnessed during the 2012 polls, and the subsequent revelation by Sister Vicky that nocturnal visits to the judges influenced the decision of the court, then Nana Addo and the Osono family have a great mountain to climb. It is the reason I ask: what is the coefficient of Nana's victory?

Before I answer the question, please permit me to digress a little. The word 'coefficient' gained prominence during the appearance of Senior Kwesi Nyantakyi, the FA Chairman, at the Justice Dzamefe Commission hearing. I call him 'senior' because he was my senior at Wa Secondary School during my sixth-form days. I'm proud to associate with him because he is an achiever. Even his detractors cannot deny that fact.

Success brings in its wake enemies and detractors. I'm therefore not surprised that many have called him corrupt without providing a shred of evidence. They have also sought to ridicule him by spoofing the 'coefficient' formula. But what they do not know is that they are only advertising their ignorance. More grease to your elbow, Senior.

A 'coefficient' is simply a quantity multiplying the variable in an algebraic expression. An example is 4 in 4X. 4 is thus the coefficient of X. So a bigger coefficient will translate into a bigger result, and vice versa.

Now back to the question about the coefficient of Nana's victory. The victory has been secured and almost all members of the Osono family agree that unity is the key to unseating the incompetent government led by President Baloney. But the level of acrimony among the contesting factions during the internal contest would determine the strength or otherwise of the party's unity in 2016. The stronger the acrimony, the more difficult it would be to achieve a stronger unity. The reverse also holds true.

The type of competition we witnessed was anything but healthy. The level of acrimony was so high that members of one faction refused to commiserate with a member of another faction, all from the same party, when the latter lost his father. If the level of acrimony could be that high, then what is the veracity of the argument that the party believes in healthy competition?

Looking back at the level of hostilities, name-calling, mudslinging and financial cost, many have wondered if it was worth engaging in the internal contest, especially when the winner was not in doubt. Some have even called it a waste of resources and everyone's time.

But looking at the other side of the coin, one can say it is good the internal contest took place. Now everyone knows his 'smoothness level'. One positive attribute of the Alan faction, however, is its vibrancy. The party definitely needs that kind of vibrancy going into the 2016 polls.

I was overjoyed when I saw photos of Hajia Fati, Kwabena Agyepong and Chairman Afoko reunited.    Unity is good, and I'm all for it. But as members of the Osono family clamour for unity, I humbly entreat them to look at the coefficient of Nana's victory. It is key in identifying the cracks and how to seal them. Senior Nyantakyi's coefficient formula is not a laughing matter after all, or is it?

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!