Akufo-Addo, others call for unity ahead of 2024 elections
Bawumia, Alan Kyeremanten to slug it out in NPP flagbearership race
Political marketing strategist with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Dr. Kobby Mensah, has said that the objective set by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to break the 8-year power cycle jinx in the country’s political history is achievable.
According to him, the rotation of power between the NPP and its main political rival, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in an 8-year cycle has not become institutionalized as it has not met the fifty-year threshold for a practice to be accepted as a tradition.
“The NPP seeks to break the eight-year regime tenure cycle in the 2024 general elections. This is achievable. In Political Science, a practice becomes an institutionalized tradition when it lasts for a minimum of over fifty years. Given that the Fourth Republic is less than thirty years old, the eight-year regime tenure cycle cannot be described as a tradition. Impliedly, the quest to break this cycle is not a utopia,” he said in a statement.
Dr. Kobby Mensah however warned of factors that could obstruct the target of the party.
He mentioned that the personality of the flagbearer for the 2024 general elections as well as how the party handles its internal wrangling will determine the success or otherwise of the objective.
“Two main factors can make or unmake the realization of this dream. First is the caliber of a candidate selected as flagbearer for the party. The second is how the leadership and elders guard against acts and tendencies that deepen the already polarized party. One cardinal feature of every political organization is guaranteed disagreements that have the potency to create schisms and disunity.
“However, what positions a political party to win its ultimate objective of securing political power is how it handles such acts that create disunity. Given that the party would be seeking to do what has not been done before in the history of the Fourth Republic, how it handles its internal matters in a manner that demonstrates respect for its rules and show equal treatment for all, particularly within the context of a contest is crucial” he added.
Background
The New Patriotic Party on Sunday, December 19, 2021, held its national annual delegates congress in Kumasi under the theme ‘NPP: Our Resolve, Our Determination and Commitment to Ghana’s Development’.
The main itinerary was for the party to consider over 91 proposals to amend its constitution however that could not happen as it referred it to the National Council of the party.
Speakers at the event took turns to urge the party members to remain united as it forges ahead into the 2024 general elections.
Dr. Kobby Mensah