The battle lines are surely and truly drawn. At the weekend, the New Patriotic Party held a conference at the Alisa Hotel in Accra and affirmed sitting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the presidential candidate for the Elephant Family in the December 7, 2020 presidential election.
At the conference, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia was introduced and affirmed as the running mate to the head of state.
At the other side of the political divide, former President John Dramani Mahama has long been acclaimed winner of the National Democratic Congress’ presidential primary. He won 99.5 percent of the popular vote.
Though the NDC presidential candidate has been lacing his boots for action since 2018, the running mate issue has become one of the longest running soap operas in the political history of this nation.
Several names have dropped from the hat, only to be jettisoned. Yesterday, two names popped up. Many political pundits were surprised when the name of Dr. Cadman Mills, brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, popped up with his full curriculum vitae. There was no date of birth supplied. But the information that he was at the Achimota School in 1959 tells no story than that former President Atta Mills’ sibling and economic adviser has clocked some time behind him.
Yesterday, just before writing this piece, it emerged that Mr. Kwame Awuah-Darko, one-time Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation, who was also boss of the Tema Oil Refinery when Mr. John Dramani Mahama sat at the then Flagstaff House as President, had emerged as the man to partner the Bole/Bamboi Landlord.
Mr. Awuah-Darko has a rich background in academia and the petro-chemical industry. But whether he has the economic wherewithal to take on an economic wizard like the sitting Vice-President, is another matter.
What is important to me as a political analyst is that with the completion of the presidential teams of the two main parties, the stage is set for one of the most bruising battles in the politico-economic history of this country. Of course, there are other contenders to the crown, with Osofo Kyir Abosom and others lacing their boots for a contest in which they will surely make no dent.
Elections in the Fourth Republic have always been an NPP-NDC affair, since the men on horse-back dethroned the pro-Nkrumah People’s National Party of ex-President Hilla Limann, and converted their Abongo regime into a political party.
The stakes are very high. Already, former President Mahama has made 18 promises, hoping that wishes would propel him to Government House. One of these promises, with what I term a very high attrition rate, is to change the name of Government House back to Flagstaff House.
Mr. Mahama has gone back on his word to abolish the teacher trainee and nursing trainee allowances. The former President’s blue-print for victory includes the review of the fee-free Second Cycle education. He also intends on introducing fee-free education at the Technical and Vocational level of education in this country.
When President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo addressed his party’s endorsement conference on Saturday, he set the tone for what Ghanaians should expect on the campaign trail. His presentation defined a clear modem between the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition, and the coup identity that begat the party Jerry John Rawlings founded.
Describing the conference as “an acclamation by social distancing,” President Akufo-Addo said the tradition of the party imposes a great responsibility on the leadership. “The leadership of the New Patriotic Party imposes a sacred trust. Our fore-fathers, right from the beginning of formal politics in the country, made an unspoken pact with the people to treat them with respect, and if given the opportunity to govern, to do so with honesty and dedication.”
Recalling the exploits of heroes of the past who helped to define the scope of operation in the elephant family, the Head of State said he felt the weight of responsibility that comes with stepping in the shoes of gallant men like George ‘Paa’ Grant, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, Edward Akufo-Addo, Simon Diedong Dombo, Kofi Abrefa Busia, Victor Owusu, William Ofori-Atta, Albert Adu Boahen, and others like Baffuor Osei Akoto. “Men who showed exemplary leadership in defining moments of Ghana’s history,” he told the delegates.
With former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who delivered an inspiring speech earlier, sitting on the podium, the Head of State aroused the audience. “In every sense of the word, stepping into the giant shoes of the second President of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, whose outstanding tenure took Ghana to a whole new level, is daunting.”
The cheers that greeted this pronouncement could only be compared to the famed Black Stars of Ghana scoring a vital goal in a World Cup tourney.
The President told his audience that the NPP owed it to Ghanaians to be different from all political parties that have sought to lead, and have led, this country since independence from colonial rule on March 6, 197.
“We owe it to Ghanaians to be different. The huge investment we are making in agriculture means that Ghana will be a self-sufficient nation in food production.”
He said the need to be self-sufficient is amplified in the concept of ‘Ghana Beyond Aid,’ stressing that even though the Coronavirus pandemic has taken a serious toll on the economy, the pragmatic decisions taken by government have ensured that there is cover under the raging storm.
He asked the NPP faithful to spread the message and let the good people of Ghana understand the need to return the elephant tradition to Government House in the December 2020 polls. In other words, the President is urging the party faithful to explicitly let the people of Ghana know the difference between the NPP and their opponents.
“We grow the economy; they shrink the economy. We create the properly regulated enabling atmosphere for business to flourish; they allow charlatans and speculators to lure citizens into putting their monies into dodgy enterprises. They bring our banks and financial services to near collapse, and we have to clean up, shore capital, and restore confidence,” he said to loud applause.
Read the Presidents lips: “They plunge us into dum-so; We keep the lights on; they look on clueless as hundreds and thousands of Ghana’s children exit school at JHS; we bring free SHS and free TVET to prepare our children better to face life. They resort to crude language when faced with difficult arguments; we raise the level of public discourse.”
With the Electoral Commission beginning the registration for the compilation of a new register for the December vote, the way is clear for the campaign for the hearts and soul of Ghanaians.
Evidence from all registration centres throughout the country yesterday spoke of intense activities. Unfortunately, social distancing has been compromised in a number of registration centres The Chronicle visited.
The good news is that registration in the Volta Region, particularly the Ketu South Constituency, where the military presence at our border posts has been overstretched by the NDC, especially to score cheap political points, is going on smoothly.
Mr. Samuel Okudzeto, NDC Member of Parliament for North Tongu, spoke to the media yesterday and praised the orderly nature of the registration exercise in his constituency. He said the military had kept their distance from the registration centres.
On Monday, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, told a press conference that the military had been deployed to safeguard all the borders, and not to intimidate people.
“We are preventing people from coming into our country so that Ghanaians are safe from the deadly Covid-19 disease, because the unapproved routes are many that the Ghana Immigration Service alone is unable to do it, as we keep resourcing them.”
Read his lips further: “So we take the police, the military, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Service to assist them. Once the border closure is extended, their stay will be extended. For marine… if we watch the marine news very well, we have deployed more boats to the Eastern and Western frontiers of our country. So it is not just the land borders we have done same.”
The military exercise has, unfortunately, entered the political realm, with the NDC accusing the government of deliberately sending the military to scare potential voters in the Volta Region from exercising their right to register in the ongoing exercise.
Yesterday, Mr. Fifi Kwetey, Member of Parliament for Ketu South, called on Civil Society Organisations, the clergy and other influential Ghanaians to bring pressure to bear on the government to withdraw the military. He was speaking at a press conference organised by the Volta Regional caucus in Parliament.
Chairman of the caucus Mr. Emmanuel Bezra was an angry man when he took the microphone. He said the NDC would resort to plan B if the government did not heed wise counsel and fail to withdraw the troops. “The fire has been lit, and we, the Voltarians, we are ready; we are not cowards: we don’t fear people. We only respect. Therefore, whoever has deployed the military personnel to our borders should call them back.
“There is no war between Ghanaians and Togolese. We are peace-loving people, and we’ll continue to love.”
What Honourable Bezra failed to mention is that the military exercise covers the whole of the Eastern frontier, from Aflao to Bawku. Why the NDC and its apologists are making so much noise about the military presence only in Ketu South is the fear that the military presence would deter Togolese from crossing over to register, and subsequently vote in the Ghanaian elections.
As for the threats, they ring hollow in discernible ears.
I shall return!
Ebo Quansah in Accra
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s editorial stance
The post Battle lines are drawn for the December poll appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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