Why I voted for Akufo-Addo in 2016

It was sometime in 2008. I was walking from Keta Senior High School area to the Police Station and then I saw it—a very huge billboard with Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo grinning on it and with a catchphrase posited below him—‘We are moving forward.’

That got my attention. After nearly 20 years of Rawlings’ rule, the NPP won election 2000 with John Agyekum Kuffour as candidate to usher in a Brave New Ghana.

I personally found the National Health Insurance Scheme very necessary and largely benefited from the scheme from 2006-2008. And I was really impressed by Akuffo Addo’s statement of intent in Election 2008—‘we are moving forward’. There was no need to go back to the NDC which was still largely influenced by Jerry John Rawlings. Ghana needed to continue moving forward, but we didn’t.

Despite all the successes that the Kuffour led NPP government chalked for Ghana, corruption scandals abounded with good old cocaine even pulling off a Houdini to become Kokonte. Ghanaians wanted change then. And change they got with 8 years of NDC rule.

Then came 2016. By now every arm-chair political scientist could read the blueprint. It’s very easy to win elections in Ghana if you happen to be one of the two main political parties. Just stay in opposition for 8 years and you’re probably bound to get elected back into power.

Election 2016 was pivotal and significant. We have a president who won with an almost 10% lead over the second placed candidate and with the many promises made and the many supposedly top notch intellectuals, entrepreneurs, scholars, businessmen and lawyers and human rights activities touted to be drafted into Government, we were all optimistic.

Alas. It was same as usual. Since 2016, Ghana has seen a rise in lawlessness—with party faithful storming court sessions, journalists being brutalized and some security officials allowed to play hide and seek with the emotion of the citizenry and relatives of the kidnapped girls, political patronage—individuals who openly confessed to overspending public money were offered positions, and campaign financiers were rewarded with juicy contracts and we are currently mired in the doldrums of corruption even though we have a special prosecutor in place and a president who promised zero tolerance for corruption. Remember the dog that wasn’t going to allow anyone to give it a bad name? Well, it has gotten a bad name at long last and might just get hanged out to dry next year.

As I write now, the tolerance level for corruption in our body politics is as high as 101%.

So, why did I vote for Akuffo-Addo in 2016? Simply, because Mahama failed and I just loved the idea of us ‘moving forward’ even though that catchphrase have morphed into one that I did not found impressive at all—‘the Battle is the Lord’s.’

Interestingly, the NPP is wont to thinking that it won election 2016 solely on votes from its members. It appears so—which is very far from the truth. Hence the many defenders who will doubt that you voted for them in 2016. No fears—they will get the chance to test our lie in 2016.

What then? Should we bring the NDC back in 2020, instead of waiting until 2024 to perpetuate our tradition of changing government every 8 years? Is it even a change? Our two main political parties seem to be playing a game of—let’s see who is worse?

So, we should all stay home and not go out to vote? Of course, not. There’s a choice.

It’s coming. They doubt it and don’t think it will happen and that’s good for us.

Time no dey. Real change is coming. Vote MKG. Vote for Marricke Kofi Gane.

We are going to muddy the waters and take this to a runoff or win it outright.

It was sometime in 2008. I was walking from Keta Senior High School area to the Police Station and then I saw it—a very huge billboard with Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo grinning on it and with a catchphrase posited below him—‘We are moving forward.’

That got my attention. After nearly 20 years of Rawlings’ rule, the NPP won election 2000 with John Agyekum Kuffour as candidate to usher in a Brave New Ghana.

I personally found the National Health Insurance Scheme very necessary and largely benefited from the scheme from 2006-2008. And I was really impressed by Akuffo Addo’s statement of intent in Election 2008—‘we are moving forward’. There was no need to go back to the NDC which was still largely influenced by Jerry John Rawlings. Ghana needed to continue moving forward, but we didn’t.

Despite all the successes that the Kuffour led NPP government chalked for Ghana, corruption scandals abounded with good old cocaine even pulling off a Houdini to become Kokonte. Ghanaians wanted change then. And change they got with 8 years of NDC rule.

Then came 2016. By now every arm-chair political scientist could read the blueprint. It’s very easy to win elections in Ghana if you happen to be one of the two main political parties. Just stay in opposition for 8 years and you’re probably bound to get elected back into power.

Election 2016 was pivotal and significant. We have a president who won with an almost 10% lead over the second placed candidate and with the many promises made and the many supposedly top notch intellectuals, entrepreneurs, scholars, businessmen and lawyers and human rights activities touted to be drafted into Government, we were all optimistic.

Alas. It was same as usual. Since 2016, Ghana has seen a rise in lawlessness—with party faithful storming court sessions, journalists being brutalized and some security officials allowed to play hide and seek with the emotion of the citizenry and relatives of the kidnapped girls, political patronage—individuals who openly confessed to overspending public money were offered positions, and campaign financiers were rewarded with juicy contracts and we are currently mired in the doldrums of corruption even though we have a special prosecutor in place and a president who promised zero tolerance for corruption. Remember the dog that wasn’t going to allow anyone to give it a bad name? Well, it has gotten a bad name at long last and might just get hanged out to dry next year.

As I write now, the tolerance level for corruption in our body politics is as high as 101%.

So, why did I vote for Akuffo-Addo in 2016? Simply, because Mahama failed and I just loved the idea of us ‘moving forward’ even though that catchphrase have morphed into one that I did not found impressive at all—‘the Battle is the Lord’s.’

Interestingly, the NPP is wont to thinking that it won election 2016 solely on votes from its members. It appears so—which is very far from the truth. Hence the many defenders who will doubt that you voted for them in 2016. No fears—they will get the chance to test our lie in 2016.

What then? Should we bring the NDC back in 2020, instead of waiting until 2024 to perpetuate our tradition of changing government every 8 years? Is it even a change? Our two main political parties seem to be playing a game of—let’s see who is worse?

So, we should all stay home and not go out to vote? Of course, not. There’s a choice.

It’s coming. They doubt it and don’t think it will happen and that’s good for us.

Time no dey. Real change is coming. Vote MKG. Vote for Marricke Kofi Gane.

We are going to muddy the waters and take this to a runoff or win it outright.