NPP Still On Slippery Grounds Daniel Dugan Writes

Elections are held before the official date and time; people go from polling station to polling station to engage in multiple voting; electoral register packed with ineligible voters and many other forms of electoral malpractices.

I am not talking about the typical Ghanaian General Elections of 1992, 1996, and 2000, thereon mentioned above are things the New Patriotic fought against and transformed Ghana’s election process from receipts used as IDs to photo IDs and biometric data collection of voters; opaque ballot boxes to transparent ones and voting in the privacy of classrooms and other enclosed places to voting in the public, among others.

The NPP has been fighting against foreigners and the under-aged entering into our electoral register to this date. And yet in this day and age, what do we have?

The election of polling station executive officers of the NPP, has openly demonstrated that the very act the ruling party called illegal outside its circles are now being glorified within the party by those in leadership positions.

Reports coming are that the Ejisu constituency is on fire. Some fellow claimed that they were seventy or so in number and were paraded from dawn to go to certain designated places to cast votes for aspirants when the actual official day of the elections was days away. 

It is obvious that when that day comes, all the illegal votes will be added to the genuine ones before the results are declared.

Reports from Ablekuma West constituency, have it that nomination forms were given to some known NDC members who may become NPP polling station executive members if they get elected. It is very obvious how such persons will perform their mandated duties on Election Day 2024.

Reports from Shai Osudoku Constituency, indicate that only five forms were distributed to most polling stations with the message that someone in high places, is demanding that no current executive should be contested.

Reports from an electoral area in that same constituency indicated that when the registration of party members was compiled, a chairman of one of the polling stations took the register home and listed his household and included NDC friends and relatives, meaning these persons who are ineligible to vote in NPP’s internal elections will exercise that franchise. 

Speculations are that there are similar polling stations with that problem with the total number of NDC members on the NPP register taking an average of fifty percent. Also, when nomination forms arrive, they are taken by some executive members who distribute them among family members.

The UP-Tradition has been through rough roads and turbulence and survived them all. In 1969, this Tradition, first formed government and was on the road to making this country great when the socialists, rudely curtailed the Progress Party regime. Almost ten years later, the opportunity came to form a party to contest and win elections and continue where Dr. K.A. Busia left off. 

But when the UP-Tradition members gathered in 1978 to decide how to form the new party, there was a split in opinion and one faction led by Paa Willie angrily left the meeting. A high-powered two-man delegation made up of Rev. Sintim Misa and then ex-president Mr. Edward Akufo-Addo was despatched to Paa Willie’s house. When these noble gentlemen declared their mission, Paa Willie stopped them in their tracks and declared that he was no longer interested in politics and had decided he was going to be a minister of the Lord, a pastor.

The two gentlemen left and before they could say, “Kukuruntumi,” Paa Willie had joined a party, the United National Convention (UNC), and even became its flag bearer. Prominent traditional leaders and some men and women of God including national and societal leaders tried talking to the UNC to join the UP-Tradition but to no avail.

Even when a run-off became necessary to decide between Limann of the socialist PNP and Victor Owusu of the PFP, who should be president, no amount of persuasion made Paa Willie join the UP-Tradition party. However, he saw it justified to join the socialists to wrestle victory from his brother. The rest is history and the UP Tradition continued to trek in the wilderness.

In 1981 Jerry Rawlings resurfaced into Ghana’s political history with the agenda to break up the two great traditions, the pro-Capitalist, UP-Tradition, and the pro-Socialist, Nkrumaists Tradition. He only succeeded in breaking up the Nkrumaists and did only little damage to the UP-Tradition.

It was in 2001, almost after twenty-nine years, in “exile,” that a party which professed UP-Tradition and called the New Patriotic Party, won elections and formed government.

Today, during another NPP government, the destruction or breaking up of the party seems imminent. And just like 1978, it is happening from within as “enemy forces” as Rawlings will call political opponents, are employed to come, join and destroy the party from within.

The polling station registers must be exhibited for all to see who and who came from other parties. All new members, according to the Party’s constitution are only eligible to take decisions for the party after at least two years of good standing.

Areas where only sitting polling station executives were given nomination forms, should have re-elections after fresh nomination forms are given to interested aspirants.

The executives have forgotten so soon, the reasons for that dismal performance in the 2020 Parliamentary General Elections. They can all in their power to impose people on the party, but when it matters most, the free-minded party members will liberate themselves by voting against executive decisions. 

It is coming out that it was the NPP members who voted against parliamentary candidates imposed on them. Rawlings did all in his power to break up the UP-Tradition and he could not. Strangely, it is now NPP members who are determined to achieve what Rawlings failed to do.