The much-awaited ‘show down’ between Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is over and the chips have fallen where they may. Delegates riding on the Great Elephant made a decisive statement last Saturday, November 4, 2023, as they chose Dr. Bawumia to lead the party in the 2024 electoral battle.
It was a well-contested election which saw Dr. Bawumia winning with 118,210 votes, representing 61.43%, while his closest contender, Hon. Ken, received 71,996 votes, representing 37.41%. Dr. Afriyie Akoto, who placed a distant third, polled 1,459 votes representing 0.76%, while Addai-Nimoh garnered a meagre 731 representing 0.41%.
Dr Bawumia’s victory has heralded the dawn of a new era in leadership, where for the first time in its history, a ‘Muslim Northerner’ will be leading the Busia-Danquah-Dombo-tradition into an electoral battle. It will also be the first time that the two leading parties in the country will be led into the same electoral battle by persons from the North. What an electoral battle that
would be!
As the Bawumia team celebrates its victory, some journalists try to ‘put sand in their gari’ by saying the margin of victory wasn’t decisive enough. If 61.43% isn’t decisive enough for a first-time contestant, then I wonder what they mean by decisive.
Those promoting that argument only enforce the fact that, many of our journalists speak without doing any proper research, because, research would have informed them that no first-timer has ever gotten 60% in an Osono flagbearership contest since 1992.
In 1992, Prof. Adu Boahen managed to get 56.5% to win the flagbearership contest. Contestant J.A. Kufuor could only manage a third position with16.4% in the same contest. Kufuor got 51.99% in the 1996 contest and 64.6% on his third attempt in 1998.
Similarly, Nana Dee took the second place with 31.6% on his first attempt in 1998 in Sunyani. Even on his second attempt in 2007, he garnered 47.9% and subsequently became the Osono flagbearer when Alan K conceded defeat. It was only on his third attempt that he got 78.8% and got even higher percentages in the subsequent Osono flagbearership elections.
So, Dr. Bawumia has done very well by getting 61.47% of the total votes cast. This means he is the first first-timer to get 60% and more. He certainly deserves commendation for that feat!
Monitoring the internal elections from my base in the United States, I couldn’t help laughing when I heard Sammy Crabbe on radio claiming that he was still a member of the Elephant family. How can he claim to be a member of the Osono family, yet show in his speech and actions that he does not wish the Elephant well? Ironic, isn’t it?
Yes, Dr. Bawumia is an integral part of the Nana Dee government. But he can only do so much when he is not the man in the saddle. It is the reason I like his acceptance speech as he tries to tell the world that he has his own ‘vision and priorities’.
Abusuapanin, one year is a long time in politics and I believe a well-thought-out campaign strategy by the Elephant can reduce the baggage the Vice-President is carrying. It will be an interesting showdown considering the fact that President Ogwanfunu too is carrying a lot of baggage.
Definitely, unity will be key in ensuring victory for the Elephant and a third electoral defeat for President Ogwanfunu. Dr Bawumia’s campaign approach had been free of vituperations and insults, so it will be easier for him to reach out to the losers to join him for the 2024 electoral battle.
While patting him on the back for the spirited fight, Hon. Ken must learn to show emotional intelligence in his political discourse. His utterances during the campaign left much to be desired.
Of course, the percentage he garnered is testament to his strength in the party. It is therefore very heartwarming to hear him speak of uniting the rank and file of the party for the ultimate showdown with the eagle-headed Umbrella in December 2024.
I must confess that Hon. Ken is a great asset to the party and the country at large. It will do the Bawumia team a lot of good if it incorporates some of his brilliant ideas on industrialisation in the party’s manifesto for the 2024 polls. Incorporating his vision in the manifesto will inspire hope in the youth.
The delegates have spoken, and very decisively too. So let’s all bury our differences, pain and disappointment and rally behind the “Walewale Adam Smith” for the onward march towards “breaking the 8.” Yes, it is possible!
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!