The Message From Suhum

For God so loved NPP that He has given us two clear messages, that if NPP does NOT listen and we lose 2024 we should NOT blame Almighty God.

The first message is from the results of Election 2020. No matter the degree of fanatism you may have for NPP, the naked truth is that NDC is a formidable “enemy”, waiting in the wings, ready to pounce on us and yank us out of office.

We managed to scrape through 2020 elections just because NPP as Government in power needs to take a second HARD look at the way we select our Parliamentary Candidates.

We must change the system where a few people calling themselves “delegates” meet and after feeding fat on envelops sewing machines, TV sets and what have you vote for the “cashman” candidate, only for the larger electorate to either stay away from the polling day or vote against us.

So much for the first message – change the way we select Parliamentary

Candidates.

The second message came from SUHUM, an Akyem domain, but inhabited mainly by Akuapims and several ethnicities. Suhum is for everybody-a trading centre.

A prominent NPP member of communications father died and his funeral was naturally expected to be an NPP carnival. NPP communicators in solidarity came from far and near to mourn their fallen colleague's father, but at the base, it was a secret showdown between Parliamentary hopeful- PROTOZOA – Chief of Staff's official at Jubilee House and the current, incumbent MP, Oboafo Kwadwo Asante.

Protozoa arrived first, shook hands, took a seat amid loud appellations from the communicators around, and then the incumbent arrived in a triumphant mood – wait a minute – some of the communicators wanted to overwhelm the situation, and in the ensuing microphone war, the MP’s driver drew a machete – the result was mayhem.

Nobody can point any accusing finger at Protozoa or the Honourable MP, but the bottom line is that the two of them are jockeying for influence, building war chests secretly to feed “delegates” to vote for them.

We are back to the same old story – who has more cash to pay delegates to vote for him? In situations such as Suhum where the upcoming contest is a straight fight between incumbent and challenger, do you think the loser will take it kindly?

So, why don’t we amend our Constitution and say that every card bearing

member of the party can vote in the selection of the Parliamentary Candidate?

If we do so, then, with an eye on tomorrow, any hopeful will behave himself at any funeral or function, because it is not your money which will buy the votes, but your character, your posture, your policies, your programmes.

Right now, as I write, 1^st September 2021, nine months into the first year of the President, MCDCES have not yet been named, because Dan Botwe, the down to earth grass roots organizer Local Government Minister has his list, then the party regional chairmen have their list, then the Presidential Staffers, those around the President twenty four hours, they have their lists, so which of them should hold sway?

Why should we burden the President with the onerous duty of selecting local governors?

Oh, my beloved New Patriotic Party, we are having very severe challenges, and if we do not surmount them, then NDC will whip us mercilessly in 2024 – God forbid.

By Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey