The NPP Must Taste the Same Dose They Administered to Others

The NPP must stop pretending to have forgotten the hardship, intimidation, and political intolerance many Ghanaians associate with its years in power. A party that showed little compassion when it wielded state authority cannot now expect sympathy simply because it finds itself in opposition.

Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata was arrested in church. Mr. Victor Selormey was arrested on the airport tarmac. Mr. Oliver Barker-Vormawor was also arrested at the airport. Therefore, the arrest of Dennis Miracles Aboagye at the airport follows an established precedent.

When the NDC assumed office under President John Evans Atta Mills, with John Dramani Mahama as his Vice President, they exercised remarkable restraint. The empathy and magnanimity shown by President Mills towards appointees of President John Agyekum Kufuor reportedly became a source of disagreement between him and his political mentor, President Jerry John Rawlings, who believed greater political accountability was necessary.

That magnanimity spared the NPP from experiencing the full weight of the political transition that many believe previous administrations had endured. Instead of appreciating that statesmanship, sections of the NPP developed a false sense of entitlement, behaving as though they were above criticism and beyond accountability.

Rather than building on the conciliatory approach of his predecessors, President Nana Akufo-Addo pursued a governing style that many critics viewed as divisive and confrontational. His administration was accused of disrupting established norms, deepening political divisions, and even intimidating traditional leaders — seemingly forgetting that political power is entrusted by the people and is never permanent.

Today, the loud cries from the NPP ring hollow. They are reacting to circumstances far less severe than what many Ghanaians believe they imposed on others while in office. Their attempt to portray themselves as victims is an exercise in political amnesia designed to attract sympathy from civil society and the international community.

Even more disturbing is that some within the NPP continue to threaten that they will return to power and repeat the very conduct they now condemn. Nothing exposes political hypocrisy more than denouncing “do me, I do you” politics while promising revenge when given another opportunity to govern.

The NPP should stop complaining and instead reflect on its own record. Every political party must live by the standards it sets for others. If the NPP demands fairness today, it must first acknowledge how it exercised power yesterday. The electorate has delivered its verdict, and that verdict should serve as a reminder that no government is bigger than Ghana, no political party is above the law, and no one holds power forever.

Mike Kalley Sociopolitical Analyst.