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29.06.2017 Feature Article

Who Is Samba? (Part 1)

Who Is Samba? Part 1
29.06.2017 LISTEN

As the season for election of party leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) draws ever closer, names of people who are either interested in contesting the soon-to-be vacant positions or are being impressed to contest have begun trickling in. At the apex of every good political organization is leadership. It is therefore a good sign for the New Patriotic Party that very competent people from diverse cultures, professions and religious leanings have made their intentions about contesting for the various leadership positions in the party known. It is the case that in some dormant and less democratic political parties, people are handpicked as leaders.

Zooming down to the northern region, the incumbent leadership of the NPP headed by Chairman Bugri Naabu did a yeoman’s job in the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, winning 13 seats out of the available 31 and also garnering over 42% of popular votes in the presidential elections. That feat was, and still is, commendable. The truth however remains that more could have been achieved with a more focused people-centered leadership. The NPP since 2000 have been making serious inroads in the northern region which culminated in the refreshing results indicated above. The NPP is a party that embraces all manner of people and the only political party in Ghana that takes poverty alleviation beyond mere rhetoric and phantom interventions that barely do more than impoverish the already deprived inhabitants.

The name Samba has come up strongly as a frontrunner in the NPP chairmanship contest in the northern region. Samba is already a household name in the northern region and it looks most likely than not that he will emerge victorious as the northern regional NPP chairman come next year. It is in this regard that Koko Table Research Institute (KTRI), a pro-NPP research, development and advocacy group has examined the candidature of Samba- the business mogul par excellence to see what he has to offer the NPP in the likely event of his chairmanship.

On a personal level, KTRI found out that Samba was rated as the most affable among his other contenders. On approachability, he scored 9/10, a huge 4points differential between him and the next person on the scale. Many NPP adherents across all the constituencies that we conducted the survey in indicated that they have no hesitation, fear or regret in approaching Samba. Samba to them is the most approachable person that you can ever come across. Several testimonies of how they tried to reach some other party leaders and were treated with disdain were shared. As the Chairman of the Patrons of NPP in the region, Samba was always their last stop to a listening ear. He listened to their concerns, addressed those he could and carried forward those he couldn’t immediately solve to the appropriate quarters and made follow-ups until they were resolved.

KTRI also found out that Samba scored absolute marks in trust and honesty. All the people surveyed had no doubts about their trust for Samba. They saw Samba as the most trustworthy politician. He was also seen as a very honest man with no bargain to carry. Again, several stories of how Samba truthfully and honestly conducted himself in previous years were shared and we could not help but equally fall in love with him. It is hard for people to trust politicians the way NPP faithful trust Samba. When several follow-up questions were asked to find out why, the answers given across constituencies were identical. Samba does not meddle in what is not his. He never takes any other side but the side of truth. His greatest concern in everything he does for the party is to further the course of the NPP and make it the most dominant party not only in Ghana, but also the northern region.

As a man who have spent a fortune nurturing the party in the northern region, it came as no surprise that Samba scored highest when the respondents were asked to score his loyalty and dedication to the party. Once more, he scored 9/10, which was also a two-point differential between him and the next person. One respondent even said “it is not how long you joined a political party that shows how dedicated you are but how well and tirelessly you work for it. In Samba’s case, he has been with NPP since time immemorial and has more than worked his heart out for it. Samba has been most loyal and it is time we show appreciation to him because he deserves it”.

It is important to note that KTRI also interviewed the man himself- Samba, to find out more about himself and his vision for NPP in the northern region. Samba is a very prosperous businessman with key focus on construction, oil and gas and real estate. He has businesses dotted around the country, especially in Tamale, Kumasi and Accra. He appeared down to earth and very affable throughout our interaction with him, which confirms what we were told about him by the NPP faithful.

On his vision for the party, this is what he had to say, “the NPP has always been a party for the down-trodden in society. It is a party that unites Ghanaians to accelerate development. The northern region is a region that lacks behind in terms of development. My vision is to galvanize support for the NPP in the northern region to make it impregnable for our brothers in the NDC or any other party. The longer NPP stays in power, the more development the region gets. The numerous projects the region benefitted under the President Kufour’s government which this government is already showing signs of surpassing are attestable to this fact. I want to build a very resilient support for our party with no ethnic, clan, religious or sectorial colorings. I want an NPP where candidates will not be foisted on constituencies because a powerful man somewhere has an interest. My interest is the interest of the party which will always be paramount. I envision and indeed, promise to deliver at least 2/3rd of all seats in the northern region in subsequent elections if the party kingmakers buy into my vision and elect me as their regional chairman.

I want an NPP where as the leader of the party I serve my party faithful with truth and integrity. I foresee northern region NPP rubbing shoulders with traditional strongholds of the party like the Ashanti and Eastern regions. Nothing is impossible if you put your heart to it, pray and work very hard to achieve it. I want an NPP where loyalty and hard work is rewarded without any further conditionality. A party where the youth who are the backbone of our party are appreciated and given frontal roles to play both in the party and in government. I equally want to lead this party in this region to minimize and if possible, stop the agitations that normally follow our party primaries and appointments of people to serve in government.

The constituency executives and the grassroots of the party will always have their opinions prevailing over any other opinion in matters concerning their constituencies because they are in touch with the people and know what they want. My leadership is going to be bottom-up and not top-down. Among other things, I will strive to unite the region behind the elephant where developmental projects, appointments and other opportunities are equitably distributed to all parts of the region.

I want the Gonja man to feel that he is as an important stakeholder of the party in the region just like the Bimoba, the Dagomba, the Konkonba, the Basare, the Chakosi or the Mamprusi man and the vice-versa. Finally, my vision is to be the chairman under whose tenure the NPP became the most dominant party in the northern region and under whose tenure massive development projects were brought to the region”.

In conclusion, the grounds seem very ripe for new leadership in northern region NPP. Samba’s coming is timely because the region needs his service at this point in time. Not taking anything away from the incumbent leadership, they have done their best for the party but it is time for them to give way for others with equally good or even better ideas and vision to take charge of the party at the helm of affairs. Koko Table Research Institute (KTRI) sees no other person most suited now for such an important task than Samba.

GO SAMBA GO!!!
LONG LIVE NPP
LONG LIVE THE NORTHERN REGION
LONG LIVE CHAIRMAN SAMBA!
Source: Koko Table Research Institute (KTRI)

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