Awutu Senya West 2024 Electoral Defeat: A Costly Lesson That Unity Wins Elections
The New Patriotic Party in Awutu Senya West suffered what many grassroots members are calling the most embarrassing defeat in the constituency’s history in the 2024 general elections.
It was not a defeat that came overnight. The warning signs had been flashing since 2022.
The Division Started Early
After the 2022 constituency elections, the party in Awutu Senya West became sharply divided. Factions emerged, and wounds were left to fester. Instead of healing, the gap widened.
Unfortunately, little was done by the newly elected constituency chairman, Mr. Paul Aidoo, to bring the factions together. There were no deliberate unity-building engagements, no reconciliation meetings, and no effort to make aggrieved members feel part of the project again.
At the same time, some people close to the then parliamentary candidate carried themselves as though victory was guaranteed. They acted as if the party could win without the support of aggrieved members. Some even went further to provoke those who felt sidelined, instead of reaching out to them. Some were told o do their worse when they spoke out.
The Result: A Party That Went To War With Itself
Elections are won by numbers. But in 2024, the NPP in Awutu Senya West went to the polls with a house divided against itself. The energy that should have gone into campaigning was spent fighting internal battles.
Polling station executives who felt ignored stayed home. Party faithful who felt disrespected voted with their feet. The final result was woeful. The party lost, and lost badly.
The Lesson: No One Wins Alone
The events leading to the 2024 defeat should teach us one clear lesson: it takes the collective effort of all party members to win elections.
You cannot win with only “your people.” You cannot win by humiliating the other side after an internal contest. You cannot win when polling station executives, electoral area coordinators, and branch members feel they don’t matter.
An election is not about one chairman, one candidate, or one group. It is about the driver, the mobilizer, the financier, the opinion leader, the youth, the women’s wing, and even the member who only shows up to vote. When one part is missing, the whole machine breaks down.
The Way Forward: Unity Must Be Deliberate
If the NPP in Awutu Senya West wants to be competitive again, then unity must stop being a campaign slogan and become a daily practice. To realize this, the following actions should be taken with immediate effect
1. Leadership must reconcile: The constituency executives must take deliberate steps to meet with all factions and aggrieved persons. No one is too small to be engaged.
2. Stop the provocation: Members must learn to disagree without being enemies. Insults, exclusion, and “we don’t need you” politics must end.
3. Focus on the bigger picture: Personal interests and scores must be set aside. The goal is to win the seat back for the NPP, not to win arguments among ourselves.
The elephant is a symbol of strength, but strength comes when all parts move in the same direction. A divided elephant cannot carry the party forward.
2024 has taught you a painful but important lesson. You must learn it. Promote unity. Stop dividing the party. Because in politics, divided houses don’t just fall — they lose elections.
The author is a regular contributor to News Commentary, a current affairs programme by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and a columnist with Modern Ghana, an esteemed online news portal
Awutu Senya West 2024: A Costly Lesson That Unity Wins Elections
By Bala Ali
The New Patriotic Party in Awutu Senya West suffered what many grassroots members are calling the most embarrassing defeat in the constituency’s history in the 2024 general elections.
It was not a defeat that came overnight. The warning signs had been flashing since 2022.
The Division Started Early
After the 2022 constituency elections, the party in Awutu Senya West became sharply divided. Factions emerged, and wounds were left to fester. Instead of healing, the gap widened.
Unfortunately, little was done by the newly elected constituency chairman, Mr. Paul Aidoo, to bring the factions together. There were no deliberate unity-building engagements, no reconciliation meetings, and no effort to make aggrieved members feel part of the project again.
At the same time, some people close to the then parliamentary candidate carried themselves as though victory was guaranteed. They acted as if the party could win without the support of aggrieved members. Some even went further to provoke those who felt sidelined, instead of reaching out to them. Some were told o do their worse when they spoke out.
The Result: A Party That Went To War With Itself
Elections are won by numbers. But in 2024, the NPP in Awutu Senya West went to the polls with a house divided against itself. The energy that should have gone into campaigning was spent fighting internal battles.
Polling station executives who felt ignored stayed home. Party faithful who felt disrespected voted with their feet. The final result was woeful. The party lost, and lost badly.
The Lesson: No One Wins Alone
The events leading to the 2024 defeat should teach us one clear lesson: it takes the collective effort of all party members to win elections.
You cannot win with only “your people.” You cannot win by humiliating the other side after an internal contest. You cannot win when polling station executives, electoral area coordinators, and branch members feel they don’t matter.
An election is not about one chairman, one candidate, or one group. It is about the driver, the mobilizer, the financier, the opinion leader, the youth, the women’s wing, and even the member who only shows up to vote. When one part is missing, the whole machine breaks down.
The Way Forward: Unity Must Be Deliberate
If the NPP in Awutu Senya West wants to be competitive again, then unity must stop being a campaign slogan and become a daily practice. To realize this, the following actions should be taken with immediate effect
1. Leadership must reconcile: The constituency executives must take deliberate steps to meet with all factions and aggrieved persons. No one is too small to be engaged.
2. Stop the provocation: Members must learn to disagree without being enemies. Insults, exclusion, and “we don’t need you” politics must end.
3. Focus on the bigger picture: Personal interests and scores must be set aside. The goal is to win the seat back for the NPP, not to win arguments among ourselves.
The elephant is a symbol of strength, but strength comes when all parts move in the same direction. A divided elephant cannot carry the party forward.
2024 has taught you a painful but important lesson. You must learn it. Promote unity. Stop dividing the party. Because in politics, divided houses don’t just fall — they lose elections.
The author is a regular contributor to News Commentary, a current affairs programme by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and a columnist with Modern Ghana, an esteemed online news portal
Bala Ali is a Pan Africanist with biased interest towards the continent's progress
Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here."