Our politics has come of age. And the NPP is showing the way. The resounding success chalked up by the party at the various voting centres bears ample testimony albeit the tsunami that affected some sitting MPs, including some Ministers of State.
In spite of claims by some people that politics is a dirty game and has been hijacked by moneybags, it remains the most representative form of government.
We were saddened however by the action of Mr. KT Hammond, MP for Adansi Asokwa and Minister of Trade and Industry who threatened to beat a contender to pulp because, as he claimed, the said person had led supporters to assault his supporters.
The actions of KT Hammond on live television last Saturday was disgraceful and nauseating.
He should apologise for that kind of misbehaviour or be forced by the national leadership to do so before he drags an otherwise peaceful primaries into disrepute and give the opponents the opportunity to spread lies about the NPP.
We ask him to redeem himself going forward. Besides the gaffe of KT Hammond and pockets of disagreement in few other places, the primaries produced peaceful outcomes throughout the country except about 28 constituencies where the sitting MPs lost.
The national leadership and the Council of Elders now have the Herculean task to reconcile all the factions in order to achieve that unity of purpose towards the task of breaking the eight.
Prior to last Saturday’s exercise, the enemies of the party in the media, academia and civil society have predicted disunity and disruptions at the polls.
The party, including its rank and file, must demonstrate to all that it is of age and that the supporters understand the dynamics of politics.
And that in the contests such as took place on Saturday, there would be winners and losers. It is a big blow and pain to lose election, but it does not signify the end of life. The winners must quickly embrace the losers in order to work together to retain their seats and garner more vote to win Election 2024.
We do not want to add salt to the injury suffered by the losers, but truth be told, some of the losers caused their own doom by turning their back to the delegates and the electorate.
Our type of democracy is representative government which requires that the MPs strive to champion the aspirations of the people. Some of them have never been heard on the floor of Parliament, neither have they worked to address the concerns of the people.
There is an MP in the Ayawaso enclave who is hardly heard in Parliament but he is always on the ground with his people. No doubt he has had it smooth sailing in his efforts to retain his seat.
What that means to all seeking to represent the people is that the day of reckoning awaits them, and if they became arrogant the “kingmakers” would demonstrate their disapproval with thumb like the humiliation suffered by some of the defeated MPs.
We salute the party leadership for learning from experience and refraining from imposing candidates. The delegates were allowed to vote in a free, fair and transparent environment.
If any delegate’s candidate lost, it was not because of any unfair treatment. That candidate lost to a better candidate which also means that to a large extent the delegates listened to the people in casting their ballot. We believe the party has begun the process towards the renewal of the spirit of the party and revive the popularity of the once colossus in the country’s political realm.
The leadership must exploit this seeming peace engendered by the primaries and align all the programmes with the vision and strategies of the flagbearer of the NPP, Vice President Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia.
In the meantime, we urge the leadership to address the remaining constituencies where there are issues, including areas where injunctions have been imposed on the party, so that sooner than later all the constituencies would be aligned to the electoral strategies of the party and its flagbearer.
Our hope is that the peace of the primaries would inure to better electoral victory for the NPP on December 7.
We wish all the candidates well in their endeavours and urge them to hit the ground running immediately. To the vanquished, better luck next time!