Reclaiming The Nalerigu-Gambaga Seat For NPP With Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama

It is almost two weeks since the NPP went to the polls to elect parliamentary candidates to represent the party in the 2016 elections. The dust is almost settling and one cannot avoid giving thumps up to the party for a well organized elections. That haven been said, it goes without saying that there are so many stakes involved in an elections and our emotions, temperaments, patience and genuine intentions are frequently tested. This however is not and can never be an excuse to go overboard with our reactions either in victory or in defeat.

Since 1992, the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency has always been won by the NDC with the exception of 2004 when the Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama won it for the first and only time for the NPP. In my analysis however, the NPP gave it out to the NDC in both the 2008 and 2012 elections because of internal squabbles or personal egos superseding the interest of the party. The purpose of this article is not to open old wounds but to begin a crusade for unity to prevail among NPP members in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency.

The results of the constituency primaries reveals more than meet the eyes. Hon. Hajia Alima who emerged winner, managed to beat her closest competitor, Hon. Peter Wuni Baaga with only three (3) votes. The second runner-up, the young and energetic Mr. Mohammed Nasigri Somo also equally put up a good showing and was not left far behind. Equally worth mentioning is the calm, collected and gentle Mr. Sualihu Meshanu Deliman, who surmounted all obstacles to his bid and managed to be part of the contest. He placed fourth.

In elections, and especially with parliamentary elections, the marketability of a candidate is very important and I’m sure the delegates of our party took this into consideration before going for Hon. Hajia Alima. I have no qualms with their decision. I however want to add that just as the marketability of the candidate is important in winning elections, so is internal cohesion.

Since the aftermath of the June 13^th primaries I have had cause to be excited and to be concerned about our chances in the 2016 parliamentary elections. Hajia Alima was magnanimous and considerate in victory. There were no extra-ordinary celebrations either in her home or elsewhere. Yes, she and her supporters were excited but they knew that other party members were hurt. To not aggravate the plight of those that were hurt, the celebrations were either low-key or nonexistent. More than anything else that gave me reason to be excited was the humble and gracious acceptance of defeat by her closest rivals in the primaries. If it was not all a façade or a mere window-dressing, I can conclude that the party will be more than united in the run-up to 2016 elections owing to the pledges of support by Hon. Peter Baaga and Mr. Mohammed Somo. They followed this up with visits to congratulate Hon. Alima Mahama at her home who in turn requited their kind gestures in their respective homes. In both cases, the sceneries were sights to behold and their speeches worthy of committing to memory. There was that ‘collective agenda’ feeling that could be deduced from their speeches.

To the other side of the coin, I have had cause to worry because some aggrieved followers of some candidates have sworn to scuttle the chances of the elected candidate ever reclaiming the seat for the NPP. Haven spoken with some of them, they do have reasons to feel peeved whether their reasons are perceived or real, that I cannot say much. I always tell them that to be a good politician or a good follower of a politician, a political party or a football team, one must always be prepared to accept either of two outcomes- victory or defeat. When you win, there is life after victory. When you lose, there is life after defeat and many of the world’s renowned people in diverse endeavors have failed many times in life without giving up till they succeeded. I use our presidential candidate as an example to illustrate my point. If he were to abandon NPP in 1998 after losing to now former President Kufuor will he be leading us now? Interestingly, some of these friends who are threatening to vote skirt and blouse admit that Hon. Hajia Alima won fairly without any manipulation and the results judging from the closeness of it could have gone in their favour too. One may ask, what then is their beef? They claim they are living the party because the man who attracted them to NPP did not win. However, this same man is still NPP flesh and blood-and very well rooted in NPP even in defeat. Why then should any follower utter such statements and continue to fuel tension in the party?

To win the Nalerigu-Gambaga seat, below are the critical things the party MUST do.

1. RECONCILATION: there should be genuine efforts towards reconciling all aggrieved party members of the constituency. This should be spearheaded by no less a person than the vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The reconciliation efforts must not be targeted only at leaders of the factions in the constituency but their followers as well. The two protagonists must be made to understand that they were the greatest beneficiaries of the party when it was in power and the party should not be made to suffer for its generosity to them. They are again the two foremost leaders likely to benefit should NPP come to power in 2017 before anybody else by my estimation. They MUST SHELVE their egos and work together. In this respect, the parliamentary candidate, because she is leading the party into elections 2016 must try to bring all hands on board. I know she can and she will.
2. DIVISION OF LABOUR: campaigns should be decentralized but well coordinated. There should be specific villages assigned to people who can influence them into voting for the NPP. The Constituency is already divided into zones and the research officer must be resourced to immediately conduct research into the needs of the people in every zone, the people they look up to, and the message suitable for them. In that sense, I will suggest that all three aspirants who lost to Hon. Hajia Alima should be given specific roles to play. That way, it is easier to measure performance and also encourages positive competition among the zonal campaign teams.
3. RESPECT OUR LEADERS: we must accord the leadership of the party the needed respect to bolster their confidence. This implies that we should forget happenings in the past that ever divided us and begin to see ourselves as one people with a common goal- winning political power in 2016 in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. We must speak well of our leaders, especially, the parliamentary candidate. Some of us may not like her but for the sake of the party and Dr. Bawumia-to whom this seat is very dear, we must rally each other behind her, her team and the constituency executives.
4. YOUTH INVOLVEMENT: the party is yet to tap the full potential of the youth in the constituency. There are very good materials from the youth who could be drafted into the campaign teams of every zone. The Constituency Youth Organizer should spearhead this and also give them specific roles such as helping in creating campaign messages, responding to NDC propaganda, educating the people on NPP policies, organizing rallies etc. We the youth are very energetic and we will wholeheartedly accept any such recognition and responsibilities.
5. VISIBILITY: the parliamentary candidate, her campaign team, the constituency executives and the entire membership of the party must endeavor to make our presence be felt in all social gatherings in our localities. If we are capable, we should always give a donation either in cash or in kind or both. We must not be so obsessed with attracting non-NPP people to the detriment of our own supporters. This has the potential of backfiring or sending the wrong message across. The funeral homes, weddings, naming ceremonies, festivals, clean-ups, keep fits etc must be flooded with NPP members.
6. MAKING GOOD USE OF DR. BAWUMIA: as much as possible, we must make good use of the most respected politician Mamprugu ever had. The visits of Dr. Bawumia must not be limited to only the urban centres of the constituency. He must be made to visit the nooks and crannies of the constituency just like he did in the last election which saw us 420 votes short of winning the seat for NPP. He is revered and commands a lot of respect and awe from all and sundry. His charisma and intelligence should be tapped to the fullest even though he might rightly not be able to honour all our schedules.

In conclusion, the greatest threat to the NDC is a united NPP. We must therefore not play to their gallery by stepping on each other’s toes when there are heads in the NDC that we can step on. I’m highly optimistic that a united NPP will always win against NDC and should we manage to put our house in order, 2016 elections will be ours to lose. Again, Hon. Hajia Alima is going to be in parliament on the 7^th of January, 2017. She together with Nana Addo and Dr. Bawumia will perform to the admiration of all Ghanaians.

NB: The purpose of this article is to advocate for unity in NPP especially in my constituency. If any portion of this article offends you, I did not intend it and I apologise. Let us all support Hon. Hajia Alima and all other NPP parliamentary candidates nationwide to victory in 2016.

Long Live NPP, Long Live Nana Addo, Long Live Ghana.

Author: Suayam Simon
Mobile: 0207854685