Where Was Baidoe-Ansah When Afoko Gang Attempted To Upend NPP?

The name of Mr. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, the former Trade and Industry Minister under President John Agyekum-Kufuor, is a bit familiar. But I don’t quite recall the role, if any, that he played during the 8 years that the now-President Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo was the factionally harried Presidential Candidate of the then-main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). And so I feel a little bit uneasy about Mr. Baidoe-Ansah’s summertime-like decision to contest for the highly sensitive post of General-Secretary of the now-ruling New Patriotic Party (See “Former Minister Contests John Boadu for NPP Post” MyJoyOnline.com / Modernghana.com 3/26/18).

I have absolutely no problem with the former NPP-MP for the Kwesimintim Constituency, in the Western Region, giving the currently Acting General-Secretary of the NPP, Mr. John Boadu, a stiff but healthy run for his money. Indeed, I have wondered for quite a while now, why Mr. Boadu had not given up his substantive National Organizer’s post in order to fully act as the NPP’s General-Secretary. Even so, it is not very clear to me precisely what the Trade Minister means by his statement that he intends “to provide effective leadership for the NPP to enable the party to easily win the next general election.”

Maybe somebody ought to inform Mr. Baidoe-Ansah that under the symphonic “Acting” leadership of Mr. Freddie Blay, as National Chairman of the then-opposition New Patriotic Party, the twain managed to ensure the resounding defeat of then-incumbent President John Dramani Mahama. To be certain, it was the most resounding margin of defeat ever unleashed by an NPP Presidential Candidate on his main National Democratic Congress’ political opponent. And that margin was, of course, a 9-percentage point. And so, of course, Mr. Baidoe-Ansah has more proving to do in order to “resoundingly” demonstrate to the party’s upcoming Delegates’ Congress, in June, that he really has what it takes “to take the governing party to the next level.”

He may also need to explain precisely what “next level” he intends to take the party, and just how such level promises to be far more “effective” and “progressive” than the caliber of leadership presently being provided by Messrs. Blay and Boadu. I am not hereby implying that Mr. Boadu or Mr. Blay has been doing things at the party’s Kokomlemle headquarters and around the country unimpeachably. What I am simply saying here is that Mr. Baidoe-Ansah does not seem to possess the sort of nationwide grassroots experience that Messrs. Blay and Boadu clearly appear to have acquired under the most trying of circumstances in the past two or three years.

Nonetheless, if he can galvanize the grassroots support of the ruling party to guarantee a resounding victory in 2020, such as Messrs. Blay and Boadu delivered in Election 2016, that would be all well and good.But, of course, Mr. Baidoe-Ansah can also do so efficiently without necessarily spoiling for the post of NPP General-Secretary, which is likely to be a far tougher sale than he probably could afford. He could more realistically vie for the equally quite rewarding post of Deputy NPP General-Secretary, for Mr. Boadu has acquired the sort of “Baptism-Under-Fire” experience that the party can ill-afford to facilely dispense with. Changing horses midstream may also not be such a good idea. It almost defies common sense.

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