Opinion
In the NPP today, the only “god” in it who has never made any mistakes at all and done anything wrong is Nana Akufo-Addo. He is responsible for anything good that happened in the NPP but has no hand in anything bad that happened. If you dare hold Nana Addo responsible for anything bad in the NPP, you will get people tearing you up like you are the biggest fool on earth. Meanwhile, that is the main problem in the party and that is pushing the party slowly to another election defeat in 2016.
When you read the NPP newspapers and listen to their radio stations, all you hear is that Nana Akufo-Addo helped President John Kuffour to win both the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections but President Kuffour caused the defeat of Nana Akufo Addo in 2008 and Alan Kyeremanteng also caused the defeat of Nana in the 2012 Presidential elections. When Nana Addo ignorantly took Ghana to the Supreme Court and wasted everybody’s time including causing heavy financial loss to the state, it was all Dr. Afari-Gyan’s fault and when he lost the case at the Supreme Court, it was Judge Atuguba’s fault. Kwabena Agyapong and Paul Afoko were responsible for all the troubles that were going on in the NPP.
In the presidential primaries when Nana Addo corrupted all the delegates with GHC600, 000.00, his supporters jumped to his defense and named it “donation” and hailed Nana for coming out to rescue the party from financial troubles. When people went and wanted to butcher Afoko and Agyapong at the party headquarters, everybody in Ghana knew whose group went and did that and everybody knew who was behind that shameless and evil act, yet Nana Addo’s supporters came forward and described it as an NPP internal affairs and that such occurrences happen in all political parties. Nana Akufo-Addo has never been responsible for anything bad that has ever happened in the NPP. It is always somebody else who did it. Blame either President Kuffour, Afoko, Agyapong, NDC thugs, Dr. Afari-Gyan or somebody!
I have personally read most of Dr. Arthur Kennedy’s opinions on the NPP including the one he titled “Confusion over mandates in the NPP” In Dr. Kennedy’s opinion, and what I take from it is that “hold Nana Akufo-Addo responsible too” When you read his book “Chasing the elephant to the bush” he seems to suggest the same thing. That is, let us hold somebody within our party responsible for our failures rather than always blaming some foreign entity, who may not even know what we are talking about.
When was the first or last time the NPP held Nana Akufo-Addo responsible for any election defeat of the party? Does it not bother you if President John Mahama campaigned for just 40 days to become President as against Nana Akufo-Addo who had campaigned for 12 years and still lost? You don’t get worried if President Mahama has now campaigned for 4 years? Are you not scared?
Dr. Arthur Kennedy on Akwaaba Radio in the USA on May 12, 2015 stated that during the National Executive delegates meeting in Tamale, Nana Addo might have had some people in mind that he had wished they won the Chairman and the General Secretary positions but they did not win. Paul Afoko or Kwabena Agyapong might also have had somebody in mind that they had wished he won the flag bearer position for the party but he also did not win. He continued to say now those elections are over and what the leader (flag bearer) of the party needs to do is to bring all parties on board for the common good of the party.
Unfortunately, now everybody is blaming Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong for the confused use of mandate in the NPP, instead of putting the unity of the party squarely on the leader of the party, Nana Akufo-Addo. If Nana Akufo-Addo cannot and does not work with just two members of his own party, how could he work with over 200 NDC Parliamentarians? The NPP is always blaming the wrong people for their troubles when the real causer of all these troubles is walking free without any blame and accountability. You see, that is the main problem with the NPP. The earlier they fix this problem, the better it will be for them.
On May 11, 2015 I heard Hon. Kennedy Agyapong on Asempa FM in Ghana, saying that Dr. Arthur Kennedy is living comfortably in the US and writing all sorts of things against Nana Akufo-Addo, when in actual fact he (Dr. Kennedy) does not know all the efforts Nana has been putting in place to resolve the problems in the NPP. He continued to say that all the efforts Nana Addo has put in place for the unity of the party has not worked and Dr. Kennedy should know that. Wow! Wonders shall never end.
My question to Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and my fellow Ghanaians is that if Nana Akufo-Addo has been doing everything in his power and wisdom to resolve the problems in the NPP and they have not worked, how can he (Nana Addo) tell Ghanaians that he has the magic solutions to all the problems Ghana has? Has Nana already deceived Ghanaians?
If Nana Addo cannot unite and solve the problems of 500,000 members of his party, how could he go around the country and say he can solve all the problems of 25 million people?
If Nana Addo cannot solve a basic and simple problem in his party, how could he solve the complicated problems of a country?
These are serious questions Ghanaians should ask themselves as they go to the polls in November 2016. It is not enough if a clergy tells you “let’s vote the NDC out” but did not say who we should vote them in.
If you are not careful, you will vote the NDC out but the one who is coming would rather compound your problems because they cannot even put their house in order. The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. Take this advice.
My take is, until the NPP begins to hold Nana Akufo-Addo responsible for all the troubles and problems in the party now and in the future, they should forget about election 2016 and all future elections in Ghana. If Nana Akufo-Addo has done everything to solve the simple problems in the NPP which started in 2008, and it has not worked, (per Hon. Ken Agyapong) why shout on mountain top blaming President John Mahama for not being able to solve the complicated energy problems in Ghana which started in the 80s? Meanwhile, President John Mahama has said former Presidents managed the energy crisis but he will fix it. This is another promise the President has kept. Has Nana Akufo-Addo come out to set a date when he will fix (not manage) the simple troubles and problems in the NPP? Food for thought.
If I were a member of the NPP, I will not just push this article and all the opinions by Dr. Arthur Kennedy away, but I will start to ask myself certain questions and will begin a process of holding Nana Akufo-Addo responsible for every bad thing that is going on in the NPP including our serial electoral defeats. This way instead of saying “Yegye Yeman” meaning we want our country back, you will begin to say “Yegye Yen Party” meaning we want our party back. NPP has been in the bush for far too long under Nana Akufo-Addo. It is about time a group rises up and save the NPP now!
Lawrence Appiah-Osei (Protocol)
Chairman
Friends of John Dramani Mahama (USA Chapter)
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