Public Agenda (Accra)
Castro Danquah
29 August 2008
The 'contest' for the New Patriotic Party running mate was the hottest ever. It assumed a different dimension and as those who showed interest intensified their lobby, the supporters began to engage in dirty and mudslinging internal party politics. It was getting murkier.
At least there were about nine party men and women, one of whom, was expected to be chosen by the NPP flagbearer to partner him for the 2008 polls.
As the deadline to name the running mate got closer, the names were narrowed down to three, according to media speculation.
Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister for Women and Children Affairs, was undoubtedly the preferred choice of the NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo.
It was no secret that Nana trusted Hajia and their compatibility would have been perfect. But this is not the only factor to consider when choosing a running mate, who is potentially a Vice-President.
The woman has some positive attributes and as an MP cum a cabinet Minister, she is already a role model for some Ghanaian ladies.
The question that many NPP gurus asked was whether Hajia has suddenly attained that height and level where in the absence of the President she could effectively chair Cabinet meetings.
NPP used to be referred to as "book long people" and these people are still around. Could she have commanded enough respect from these NPP bigwigs? Definitely, not. Under her vice presidency, she would not have been effective due to lack of cooperation and respect.
The odds against her were enormous and as the saying goes it is only a fool who does not change his mind .And Nana just did that.
Surprisingly, some close aides to Nana refused to see the dangers of picking Hajia as his running mate. Once their boss preferred the Nalerigu MP, they refused to listen to anybody including those who matter in the party and continued to push the preferred candidate.
This attitude angered many party elders which compelled B.J da Rocha, former NPP national chairman who is noted for telling it as it is, to issue a stern warning to the party not to make a mistake to accept Hajia Alima as the running mate. The woman and her supporters might have naturally felt bad but any objective thinker who is a true party person ought to have appreciated the old man's genuine concerns. They should rather thank him.
Truly speaking, he spoke the mind of the majority of the party members and saved Nana from embarrassment and the difficulty he would have encountered if he had not heeded to the advice.
Let it be said that we did not hear any leading party woman overtly or covertly to have declared her support for Hajia .Are women their own enemies?
Boniface Sadiqque Abubakar, Salaga MP and Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, never knew he was not the favourite of the NPP flagbearer. But he should have known since he failed to support Nana's presidential bid during the party primaries. However, on the surface of things, it appeared the party rank and file and a section of the media had projected him as the best partner for Nana. What disqualified Boniface was compatibility factor, the flagbearer has never had the opportunity to work closely with him except at the cabinet level where both served as Ministers.
Again, there was this thinking in Nana's camp that it was not proper for Boniface to reap where he did not sow. In short, he had preferred somebody should have rather won the party's presidential primaries other than Nana to lead the NPP in the December polls.
Some of the names that were mentioned as potential running mates were laughable. They can only serve as Ministers. To be a number two man of the nation is not a joke and this is where the choice of Dr Mahamadu Bawumia as a running mate appears to have gone down well with the majority of the party people.
More importantly, he did not take side or support any of the candidates during the NPP presidential primaries.
His specialty in Banking and Economics combined with the political leadership of the NPP flagbearer if well utilized can take the nation to greater heights.
One big lesson that has clearly come out of the NPP running mate issue is the fact that Nana Akufo-Addo, just like any human being, can make wrong choices and take wrong decisions in the future as President .And sadly his close aides would not see anything wrong. They can hardly challenge his decision.
My humble advice is that NPP leadership should not shirk their responsibilities to the few close aides to Nana who are bent on serving their personal interest. Perhaps, one of the mistakes President made, especially on northern Ghana is that he only listened to a group self-seeking northern politicians. When he had to appoint state ministers from the north, they happened to have come from one area and also from one of the feuding gates. The party should emulate da Rocha and hold the Presidency in check whenever the need arises. castrodanquah@yahoo.com
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Public Agenda. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
