Another electoral loss for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has the potential of driving the party into extinction due to the storm and confusion the defeat will generate within its ranks, political science lecturer, Dr Mohammed Abass has warned.
The leading opposition party has witnessed a number of defeated parliamentary aspirants filing to contest as independent candidates in the 2016 legislative poll owing to disaffection with results from primaries. Notable independent parliamentary aspirants of NPP stock include Nii Noi Nortey (Klottey Korle) and Theophilus Tettey (Ablekuma West). Bantama MP Henry Kokofu – who lost in his bid to contest for re-election on the NPP’s ticket – filed to contest for the seat as an independent candidate but later withdraw the filing.
At an NPP rally on Tuesday at Shiabu, Dansoman, on October 4, flag bearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told such dissatisfied persons going solo that they were not true members of the party.
"Our party selects leaders though internal elections. I, myself, was elected through such a process. True party people stay with the party whether they win or lose. My colleague Alan Kyerematen, who I beat in our primaries, is still here with me. He even speaks on my behalf. However, if you lose internal elections and you get disgruntled and decide to leave the party, then you are not a true NPP member. So, if you say you are quitting the party because you lost an election, we will say: 'Thank you very much for your services, you go, we will stay and fight the fight and make the way to bring the victory to the NPP.' We don't give up, we don't fret, come what may, we are solidly behind the Elephant," the three-time presidential hopeful said.
But Mr Akufo-Addo’s comment, according to Dr Abass, was not helpful in addressing the issues threatening the unity and chances of the party in December’s election.
Speaking on Accra100.5FM’s breakfast show, Ghana Yensom, on Wednesday October 5, Dr Abass noted that politics was about “numbers” and “population”, thus, Mr Akufo-Addo would have to “do everything in his power” to address “grievances” and “dissatisfaction” within the party.
He said Nana Addo’s comment was “not a higher response”, betraying a conduct similar to the MP aspirants who have filed to go solo.
In his view, the 72-year-old’s remark was symptomatic of one “revenging” instead of “finding solutions” and “forging ahead” and does not bode well for the unity of the party with the presidential and parliamentary polls only two months away.
“Politics is about bridging the gap, it’s about bridging differences, because you are dealing with people who have their own ambitions. Even though they are part of the party, they have their own ambitions. So the question is, ‘Don’t they have the right to be dissatisfied if something does not go on well?’ And if they are dissatisfied and they show it, is it the way forward to say they are free to leave? Then what is the future of the party in terms of building the strength and numbers of the party?” the academic wondered.
He added: “It’s not good for the NPP. …The NPP should watch it because if they lose this election, the party will collapse and everything clearly points to that. If they lose this election, the problems that will arise in the party will be massive. …The signs are there, so this is the time they have to sacrifice and demonstrate courage and rise above personal interests, placing party and collective interests first. That is what will help them. But if they don’t do that and they even win the election, there will still be serious problems because there are issues and they have swept them under the carpet.”
Source: classfmonline.com
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..Spread the Gospel, the NPP (Elephant Fraternity) is one of the most biggest and influential groups in the world, and we assure this so called Lecturer (Abass Mohammed) that no matter what happens, even if the NPP is burnt down to ashes, it will rise again; just like the Phoenix! No individual or for that matter a group/party should underestimate the elephant fraternity. Our bond and strength comes not from the scale of our wealth or our intellectuals but our ideals and deep understanding of democracy (which we will defend and protect). The NPP is not just Nana Akuffo Addo, after him; 1000s will come again and 5000s will be there to lead the party to victory and our enduring policies and fight against corruption will still stand against the test of time and cynicism. SPREAD THE WORD! #LongLiveTheNPP #GodBlessGhana #NPPWillLiveOn #NPP2017 [email protected]
If NDC did not collapse but won power after it split and also saw aggrieved members going solo, NPP can and will survive. What can be done with people who are bent on running independent with only 60 days for election? Please I will urge the rest of us to work hard and not to waste effort on such matters. Anyway, why should peacefmonline will carry this story and comments made on other station for all this while?. If you want to always quote dead news from other stations, we will go there directly and stop this one.
Infact Rawlings said he will speak after the election he is waiting when NDC looses the n he will take his party back Mr lecture can't you see that one too and speaking about NPP, Ghana's are crying for change so there is no way that NPP will loose mbano it will never happen the wind of change is blowing Nana Addo is incorupt and he is surrounded with some corupt people that is why they are polling him down but I tell you NDC will reforemed if it looses all the sharp teeth will be sack out of the party
IN FACT HIBERNATION WILL BE THE RIGHT WORD. BUT YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION. BUT I WILL BASED MINE ON THIS SIMPLE ANALOGY. AND IF THE PHRASE HOLDS TRUE THAT HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF THEN THEY WILL BE IN OPPOSITION FOR 150 YRS. THE FIRST TIME THEY CAME TO POWER, BUSIA RULED FOR 36 MONTHS EMPHASIS (RULED NOT GOVERN) AND WAS OVERTHROWN BY GEN ACHEAMPONG'S AFRC. I STAND TO BE CORRECTED.... THEN THEY WENT TO OPPOSITION FOR OVER 30 YRS. EACH YEAR FOR BUSIA REPRESENTED 10 SOLID YEARS IN OPPOSITION FOR THE NPP. THEN KUFFUOR CAME AND PLAYED A DECENT POLITICS, THANKS TO HIS ABLE LEADERSHIP. THOUGH HIS TENURE WAS NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT, THERE WAS SOME RELATIVE PEACE, FOR EIGHT YEARS..... THEN CAME THIS GHESHIE.... .. ANYWAY ANOTHER TIME.
The pronouncement of nana addo was quite terrible. This means the man has not changed one bit, even when he is being seriously managed, he still cannot contain himself. Just imagine him as president, he will say anything that comes into his head without recourse to the consequences.
Dr. Abbas, i disagree with you. what else can a hardworking and honest leader like Nana Addo do when some of his greedy party colleagues are bent on bringing him down. It is not because Nana addo is divisive but mainly because he is not corrupt and the callous Nation breakers know they would be irrelevant in the party if he is successful.Some of these individuals are so corrupt that they have sold their soul to the devil. There is evidence of how some have secretly gone to another political party for campaign money just to bring Nana down because Nana's victory will end their selfish corrupt agenda and their paymasters will also be in prison period.
So the so called national council does not see anything wrong with Fredie Blay AKA Opana's conduct as far as his advertisement for JDM? Had this been Afoko( the northerner) or Kwabena Agyepong's conduct, the NC would have convened. OK, we are watching, and our actual post-mortem will come on latest by Dec 9th. I'm asking this question as an OBJECTIVE NPP LOYALIST! we are watching the movies and the dances. Long live NPP!