Is Alan Kyeremanten's New Party's Butterfly the Secret Symbol of the Old UP Party That Never Developed Wings to Fly toThe Presidency?

Is the United Party (UP) of today the reincarnated spirit of the United Party (UP) of old? Are the wings of the butterfly if indeed reincarnated inflated with the spirit of the old UP to fly without being crushed by the party from whose eggs its larvae came from and birthed in yellow clothing?

If the goal of the new UP is to be the same as that of the old known before 195, then which party is the target? Is it the New Patriotic party (NPP) that is being seen as a tribal party in resemblance to some parties in the past, for which the Avoidance of Discrimination Act of 1957 was passed to avoid political parties formation on the basis of religion and ethnic grounds?

Or is it the National Democratic Congress (NDC) they believe has become too strong and popular a party just like Kwame Nkrumah's CPP then was, which necessitated the need to bring all the opposition parties then to rally together to win power?

If the former is the goal, then NPP as a party today is nearing extinction since it carries some characteristics of the old Northern Peoples Party (NPP) and that of the National Liberation Movement (NLM) which were both consumed by tribal or ethnic inclinations. For the Muslim Association Party, which was the other party that complimented the UP of old's religious inclination was not a secret, at least by its name.

If the new United Party now see the current NPP to have not flushed out the tribal and religious DNA-carrying parties' trait that amalgamated to be the UP of old, on whose foundation the NPP proudly and firmly held openly as a tradition to present, then the New Patriotic Party will soon be a party to only be referenced in history classes. This is because the NPP is continuously being weakened to inherit the agony of the once vibrant CPP today, on whose precious wheels the attainment of independence of Ghana rode on.

The UP of today stands to easily take the position of the once vibrant NPP, with new faces headed by no mean a person but one of Ghana's popular and astute politicians of our times, in the person of Alan John Kyeremanten. A man many believed had and still believe has all it takes to be a president of Ghana, in demeanor, substance and popularity.

If the other smaller political parties begin to gravitate to the new UP that is showing a clear mission and vision distant from the UP of old and that of the New Patriotic Party of today, coupled with the understanding and quest for unity that was showcased by the smaller parties and some independent candidates during the 2024 Ghana's general elections, the new United Party stands to be a political heavyweight soon in Ghana.

The new party already has astute former members of the New Patriotic Party, and many are still defecting in secret and in open to its camp to enjoy the bright yellow sunlight-lit future, and the sweet nectar they believe the butterfly will guide them and the nation to harvest happily.

Arrogance, disrespect and deceit currently appears not to be in the DNA of the party's followers, at least their leader exemplifies that obviously. Many however, believe that cannot be said about the current NPP party members. For the members of the new UP known to have at least had or shown those traits in the past by virtue of their bond with the NPP that is now severed, the narrative and perceptions that greeted their membership or association with the new UP party to the ordinary Ghanaian eye, can be likened to newborns known in many circles to have no sins, in this case 'political sins', or repentance.

Some also see lessons learned the hard way for once being elephants, and all of a sudden to have developed colorful yellow wings to fly freely to be seen and heard in the open compared to being cowed to be silent though owning an elephant trunk that can reverberate the loudest sound. A suppression that was then slowly killing the spirits of most leaders of the current United Party.

What makes Alan Kyeremanten's UP future bright like its chosen yellow color, and not the short life span of the party symbol, the butterfly, is that it stands to gain more members and prominence after the flagbearer of the NPP is selected in January of 2026.

Whichever camp, be it Bawumia or Kennedy Agyapong especially, that loses the flagbearership, will have a place to call its home in defiance of any peace or accord to be signed prior to the NPP delegate conference. This defection will be more pronounced in the camp of Kennedy Agyepong should he lose the flag bearer position. A drift that will hasten the collapse of the NPP as a political party if care is not taken.

Will Kennedy Agyapong win to extend the NPP's life span as a party amidst the inviting power and spirit that dwells in the bright morning yellow sunshine being carried happily on the wings of a colorful butterfly, or Bawumia will win to give some life support to an NPP party that appears to be gradually going into coma?

If the elders of NPP and those who matter or pull strings in the party do not put an immediate stop to taking side on the contenders of the flagbearer race that sought to give undue advantage to one candidate over the others, especially between Dr. Bawumia and Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, to sit up and hurriedly bring them together to smoke the peace pipe, doom awaits all the camps and not just the ones inflating false hope in themselves.

The insults, insinuations, and dirtying of each other by the supporters in the inner circles of their campaigns without any decorum is the likely NPP grave being dug on Alan Kyeremanteng's colorful backyards that is yearning to turn elephants into butterflies.

The NPP flagbearer aspirants seem to have forgotten they are all in one party, and continue to battle as if they are contesting in a general election with other political parties. They must be reminded that the energy and resources being spent to damage each other will be required to prevent their own sharpened swords from being used by their political opponents in the general elections to pierce their politically determined hearts. It will be too late for any collective image redemption if an immediate wakeup call eludes them.

The only way I believe in this fragile and already strained relationship among the contesting camps for the flagbearer race, if ego and selfishness is not the fuel keeping them going, is for the party hierarchy to pause the campaigns for at least a week, bring the aspirants together to apologise to each other publicly, immediately suspend individual campaigning, and then agree to campaign in person as a group. The five aspirants are made to move together with a well planned itinerary to campaign using the town hall or debating class until the voting day.

By this step, the pressure on delegates will subside, the aspirants and their supporters, including those on social media will see no reason to insult each other but criticise constructively, cheer their candidates as it brings excitement back to the party and the party regains its eroded unison.

The aspirants however can speak to the media houses on phone or appear on TV stations individually or on agreed upon pairs or in a group for discussions.

If the remedy in the opinion I have spelled out without a mention of any public relation fee will be too expensive to materialize because of ego and selfishness, then I foresee, watching from afar that, for NPP to survive and be buoyant for sometime without ceasing to exist after 2028, is for the delegates to hand the flagbearership position to none of the leading contenders of that position.

This I do not see happening but is the bitter medicine the NPP can be brave to take and be on their feet beyond 2028, or refuse the medicine to be buried in the backyard of the new United Party before 2028. They can also ignore that bitter pill, and be on a sick bed forever reading the fine history of the CPP that gave Ghana most of its major landmark developments, but got brutally alienated by Ghanaians.

At least the CPP can proudly boast of those glories penned in history for NPP to read on their hospital bed. What landmark developmental stories will the NPP tell the nurses, doctors and maybe other patients on the continent equally on that sick bed?

Maybe the lessons of good governance will be learned in their spirit worlds to showcase and implement when they reincarnate.

I rest my PEN.
Mustapha Alhassan
Pennsylvania, USA.

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