Tamale North Primaries: Hon. Suhuyini Doesn't Need Plenty Of Radio Stations To Win

Fellow Ghanaians, for me, I believe in the Yoraba wisecrack that if a man discovers snake and a woman kills it, it doesn't matter who did what. It doesn't matter who become the Parliamentary candidates of the National Democratic Congress, NDC's impending primaries.

But you see, a leper, they say, may not be able to squeeze milk, but he definitely has the capacity to spill it! And in the Dagbani tribe "a hen may not be able to drink water, but it can pour the water down."

Say what you like, politics is indeed dirtier than the underpants of "commercial sex workers" (prostitutes) in Tamale. They are mainly minors who still can't properly wash their undies yet they are into the "raw" business of prostitution.

The Tamale north constituency primaries tensely contested between Honourable Alhassan Suhuyini, the incumbent Member of Parliament, and Mr. Ibrahim Kesse, could be likened to a fight between a couple in which the angry husband calls his wife a prostitute in public. Of course, nobody is insinuating or objecting a political contest between contestants in a democratic political party like the NDC. Ghana is a multi party democratic republican dispensation. And democrats must not be afraid of elections.

However, in this particular primaries at the Tamale north, there seems to be an attempt to cast aspersions on the pristine reputation of the incumbent, Honourable Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, by his political predators in order to damage his political career as a lawmaker.

There have been wild claims of some treacherous, but very powerful political forces that are behind this whole titanic political battle. The same invisible but invincible forces, it is murmured and rumored, that orchestrated the political demise of Hon. Murtala Muhammad at Nantong Constituency in the 2016 general elections appears to be strongly behind Hon. Suhuyini's challenger. But unbeknownst to whichever force that is behind this internal "political cannibalism" at Tamale north, "if you shake the tree that's more powerful than you, our men of old say, it is your head that dangles!"

Personally, I don't know the offense the young Honourable, a rising and shining star in northern politics, has committed for Mr. Ibrahim Kesse to think Hon. Suhuyini deserves such a declaration of persona non grata in the constituency within the shortest possible time in Tamale North constituency, because the contest is promising to be more fierce and not too friendly a contest between fraternity brothers. Especially, looking at the performance of Honourable Suhuyini. He should have been under normal circumstance allowed to move on unopposed.

But you see, the burying fangs of poverty in the jugular of the north that makes every salary worker a victim of the numerous "Almajiri" (beggars), is also a reality among some career politicians and political vultures. For this group of "food is ready" politicians, every honourable must perform an extra-lawmaking functions of being their daily ATM machine if not breakfast chef. Once this function is not performed, such MPs become the most nauseating nuisance who don't deserve their representation.

Being a first timer MP and in opposition, Hon. Suhuyini may not have had enough cash to be able to fulfill this "obligation" well.

Listening to Mr. Ibrahim Kesse and his communication team, their biggest political arsenal seems to be a scathing attack on the person of Honourable Suhuyini. They always point to how Hon. Suhuyini is not an indigene of Tamale north; he has no FM stations in the constituency; he didn't school in the constituency; he was "uprooted" from somewhere and brought to the constituency, "irrigated" and supported to the House of Legislature. So, he must give way for Mr. Ibrahim Kesse who is an indigene of the constituency with plenty FM stations to lead.

Submissions of Mr. Ibrahim Kesse and his team appear to sound like an opportunistic move. He is too desperate and hell bent on capitalizing on his number of FM stations in the constituency of Tamale North that he has undoubtedly founded to raise for himself a pyramid of cash and wealth, and not for any good of the constituents. Aside that, he appears to have been "pushed" to contest by some form of treacherous force. And for Mr. Ibrahim, once one is born, bred, and schooled in a constituency, and whether the person has the wherewithal or not to lead, one should have the bragging right to challenge an incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) who was uprooted from a different constituency "irrigated" to lead.

As we all know, Hon. Suhuyini is such a political Diem piece any reasonable political party would readily assist to serve them in any capacity.

In Mr. Ibrahim's warped thinking, an MP must have a measured speech in Parliament and in general matters of governance even if the mandate of the masses he represents is to be betrayed by some selfish, greedy bastards! For him, once an opposition MP has refused to be taken for a ride by government, and who also decides not to cover the keister of the Honourable House filled with some dishonorable members who find it convenient to mortgage their mandate and trust of Ghanaians in the dark of the night in exchange for "peanuts", amounts to a constitution and manifestation of disrespect and arrogance!

What a chicanery and a bundle of ignorance?
Prior to Honourable Suhuyini's going to Parliament House, as we all know, there had been rumors of "dishonourability" in no small proportions among many lawmakers. There were wild allegations of our supposed Honourable House assumption of a political immorality State's institution where bribery and corruption became a first name among the Honourable members who were always alleged to have engaged in kickbacks and management of other "fat brown envelopes" to allow the Executive Arm of government the latitude to shortchange Ghanaians.

Well, one case not farfetched was the then appointee Mr. Boakye Argyaku, who was alleged to have greased the palm of elders of the Honourable House with the support of the Executive Arm of government in order to have his way into the office of Energy Ministry. Some MPs, including the young affable MP for Tamale north, Hon. Suhuyini, blew the whistle over such a godforsaken deal. We all can recall the unpredictable insults and offensive name calling unleashed on these MPs. I think Mr. Ibrahim Kesse considered that balloon of buoyancy and anti-corruption showmanship exhibited by Hon. Suhuyini and his colleagues as disrespect and dishonourable, and as a result he must take over from Hon. Suhuyini.

How unfortunate!?
When the committee was set up to investigate the rot, other Honourable Members who were involved in presiding over that scandal from both sides of the House swore by Holy Books to exonerate themselves, but the subsequent unceremonious dismissal of the said appointee by president Akufo Addo, perhaps, justified their untruthfulness to the state. It was that same incident which put the Honourable member for the Tamale north constituency on the limelight when he asked and demanded for clarification, from Mr. Boakye Agyaku, his role played in the Bank of New York debacle.

Well, the Minister spuriously misled the President on the Ameri deal when he was given the nod.

It should have been a plus to Hon. Suhuyini having been vindicated about the trustworthiness of the then appointee, Mr. Boakye Agyaku, he insisted to establish.

Mr. Ibrahim Kesse should understand that the posture of a boxer in a ring with the presence of his coach is certainly different from that of a coachless fighter in that same ring. Like the coachless boxer in a ring, all opposition MPs as he should have known before challenging any incumbent MP because of his attitude, he is claiming, are "Makka Duu" (motherless) MPs. And if as a child your mother is no more with your dad and you have to be raised by your stepmother; such children are likely to get different treatment compared to the biological children of their stepmother, just as the government is treating opposition MPs who don't subscribe to the "create-loot-and-share activities of the government.

The degree of influence and abilities of MPs in power are not the same as those of their colleagues in the opposition, especially, those who still stand for the ideals of their party, constitutionalism, and for the wellbeing of Ghanaians in general.

In that case, the mood, posture, and behaviour of that "motherless child" must change in order to absorb both expected and unexpected shocks from the stepmother (government). And that's exactly the attitude or general mood of many opposition MPs in the House including Honourable Suhuyini. They are not being arrogant as the communication team of Mr. Ibrahim Kesse wants delegates to understand.

These are MPs who reject contracts from government meant to influence them and used to sabotage the National Democratic Congress, their own party.

Is Mr. Ibrahim Kesse happy that some opposition MPs really work with government to get their colleague opposition MPs out of Parliament because of "animus furandi" and personal vendetta?

Doesn't he think not all NDC MPs allow themselves to be used because of their fear for prosecution of financial crimes they committed when the NDC party was in power?

If Mr. Ibrahim Kesse knows that everyone is entitled to make mistakes especially as a first timer MP and in opposition as well, why would he want to capitalise on the unavoidable mistakes of a brand new MP who was instantly given a role to perform immediately he went to Parliament as a "level 100" parliamentarian, to replace him?

In any case, does Mr. Ibrahim Kesse think the privilege Honourable Suhuyini was accorded with as a level 100 parliamentarian would be given him if he succeeds in ousting the latter?

Indeed, Honourable Suhuyini went to Parliament with his colleagues level 100 parliamentarians whose names ceased to be heard of since their declarations. Because majority of them never tried engaging even a local journalist let alone vetting a ministerial appointee. Many of them since their induction have been sitting chin in palm every time in the House. Hence the clean sheets of records they have (neither bad or good). They are "Mr. Perfect" types of parliamentarian who never want to make any mistakes!

As it stands, there are two things involved if Mr. Ibrahim Kesse has not been pushed by some undesirable elements in the party to contest Hon. Suhuyini in order to get the youth role model out of Parliament. One is that he either joins the "silent MPs" or the true representatives who speak up for their people boldly if he wins the primaries. Because it's more predictable than the unfaithfulness of some party elders in the NDC that, the winner of the primaries shall represent Tamale north constituency 2021.

If Mr. Ibrahim Kesse intends to join the former and remain tight-lipped just to be admired by many because he doesn't want to make mistakes, what would be his relevance to the party and even the constituents? And on the other hand, if he chooses to represent the constituents and the party truly devoid of being used by government as a fifth columnist against his own party, by speaking up boldly against matters of narrow interest by the government, should other delegates with even four FM stations contest him when he makes mistakes in his line of duty in 2024?

I believe other MPs who have been allowed to go unopposed are performing and their delegates don't see anything problematic with them.

Why would Mr. Ibrahim Kesse contest Hon. Suhuyini even as he has been one of the few architects who unsparingly expose corrupt public officials in this current administration and staunchly stands for the ideals of the NDC?

Could this really be the same poison in a different bottle that ruined and devastated Nantong Constituency, when the defeat of Hon. Murtala Muhammed was murmured and rumored to have been an "inside job" by some treacherous elements in the party that is trying to lay its icy hands on Tamale North again?

"Hate_Cant_Win" indeed.
Posterity is the greatest judge!
The Writer, Iddrisu Abdul Hakeem, is a MasterCard Foundation Scholar (Alumnus) At KNUST.

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