The moment the dust settled on the Assin North by-election last Tuesday, all manner of commentators started giving reasons for the outcome of the poll.
To the NDC and its collaborators, it is a dress rehearsal of and referendum of 2024. That explains why the NDC and its leader, Mr. John Mahama and supporters are all over the place celebrating the victory of James Gyakye Quayson.
May we ask whether this NDC victory is a bought one by the manner in which they distributed goodies and money? We ask this question because till today the NDC keeps accusing the NPP of vote buying in the Kumawu by-election. To the NDC, what is good for the goose can never be good for the gander. The double standard and hypocrisy of the NDC is “legendary.”
Paradoxically, while the NDC still complains about Kumawu, the NPP in a sportsmanlike manner has conceded defeat and congratulated the NDC and its candidate. The President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo and his governing NPP have publicly commended the NDC for retaining the seat, while encouraging their supporters not to be downhearted but learn useful lessons from the by election as they prepare for the 2024 polls.
One of the takeaways from Assin North is the reminder to the NPP to be always wary of NDC propaganda and misinformation. And on most occasions the NPP as the party in power will allow the opposition NDC to set the agenda for the conduct of national affairs. When it comes to that the NPP is unable to match their opponent boot for boot and give the space to the opposition to have a field day.
The NDC went to Assin North with only two messages; that the NPP wants the seat because they want the numbers in Parliament to kick against the anti-gay bill and the government deliberately refusing to pay cocoa farmers because the Finance Minister had “stolen” all the money.
Whereas the governing NPP was concerned about development projects to uplift the standards of living of the people, the NDC was giving the electorate “fish” instead of teaching them how to fish.
Again, the NDC and Mahama have the effrontery to accuse President Akufo-Addo of contempt for saying that Gyakye Quayson could go to jail so the people should not vote for him, but Mahama has forgotten since he is a forgetful person that he had said that if someone must go to jail, it should be NAM1. He also said Gyakye Quayson will not go to jail today or tomorrow, and typical of Mahama, he is not prejudicing the criminal case against Quayson. The problem with us as a people is our inability to call a spade a spade instead of a long spoon because of our political lenses.
Again, the propagandist are putting a spin on the little challenge that arose when Dr. Bawumia appeared at the rally ground at Assin North last Sunday while Alan Kyerematen was on stage addressing the supporters. Alan stopped talking when Bawumia arrived because he understands the protocol for which he must accord the Veep the due respect irrespective of the fact that they are all in the contest to be flagbearer of the party.
While there appears to be no problem, the opponents of the government and their cohorts in the media and academia as well as civil society are making it an issue to knock the heads of supporters of the Veep and Alan. ‘Breaking the 8’ is a big mantra that needs all hands on deck to achieve the coup de grace to give the NPP another mandate to do more for mother Ghana. Going forward, the NPP must put in place a formidable and invincible team that the NDC propaganda cannot break, so that ‘Breaking the 8’ will not become a mere propaganda.
The Assin North by-election is now history. Therefore, there is no need for the NPP to cry over spilt milk but get to the drawing board to craft the strategies to win the 2024 general elections. These include but not limited to building a corps of friendly media but not mere megaphones, an efficient communication team and security arrangements such that the opposition NDC will not intimidate voters on any Election Day. The NPP and the government should not put all their trust in the IGP and his men to protect the interest of the people, judging from what happened in Assin North.
It must be clear by now that the NDC is hungry for power and will use lies to confuse the people for power for their personal gains and abandon the core mandate of good governance where dumsor and other policy failures will no longer be part of our national life.
The present leadership and the government have a Herculean task ahead by ensuring that going forward their policies and programmes convince the people to retain the NPP in power because the alternative is still scary. Food for thought.