Can Tina Mensah be trusted to lead NPP women’s wing?

With April 12th, 2014 approaching, the race has become very keen for candidates seeking to occupy National Executive positions in the New Patriotic Party (NPP); the position of National Women’s Organiser being no exception. Three very affable ladies are in the race for the position. They are Otiko Afisa Djaba, the incumbent National Women’s Organiser, Tina Ayele Mensah, a former Deputy National Women’s Organiser, and Mawusi Awiti, a long standing leading member of the Party.

Unfortunately, it would seem that much of Tina Mensah’s campaign message has been geared at attacking the loyalty, credibility, and competency of her former boss, Madam Otiko Djaba. Indeed, Tina Mensah has said very little about how she is going to better organize and empower the Party’s women’s wing to ensure victory 2016.

Fortunately, Madam Tina Mensah has worked in various capacities in the NPP. Under the circumstances it will only be fair to assess her stewardship in the NPP, and by that, examine her loyalty and competency, to ascertain whether she is best qualified to lead the Women’s wing of the Party in the desired direction.

This piece seeks to do just that.

Following the creation of 45 new constituencies, in the run up to the December 2012 General elections, Madam Tina Mensah, abandoned her position as Deputy National Women’s Organiser, to contest parliamentary primaries in the Weija/Gbawe constituency, a bid she lost woefully, to Madam Rosemond Amo Debrah. By that, Tina Mensah failed to court majority votes in the primaries of just a single constituency. Also worthy of note, is the fact that her former position as Deputy National Women’s Organiser was an appointed one.
As such, Tina Mensah has not stood for, and won a single election in the NPP. She has no track record of successfully organizing an electorate in the desired direction. Indeed, as far as winning an election at Party or national level is concerned; it will be valid to state that Tina Mensah has still not cut her political teeth.
If the slippery electoral rigging skills of the NDC, in the annals of Ghana’s political history, are anything to go by, then it is obvious that the NPP cannot afford the burden of a political novice, to lead the women’s wing of the NPP, to victory 2016. Does Tina Mensah stand tall?
Secondly, Tina Mensah failed to cast her ballot in the December 7th, 2012 General elections. It is on record that few days to the elections, she flew out of the country with her husband and children, to seek comfort in another “, Man’s land”, and left Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, and the rest of NPP, to push for victory. Apart from it being disheartening, that a former Deputy National Women’s organizer of the NPP will go A.W.O.L., on the eve of an important election such as that of December 7th, 2012, it is incredible that she will develop metallic testicles and approach the good delegates of the NPP, for their mandate, to be their National women’s Organiser.
Again, Madam Tina Mensah was conspicuously missing from the Supreme Court room during the entire eight months of the Election Petition of the NPP, against the election of John Dramani Mahama as President of Ghana. She was also absent in all the prayer sessions, organized by the women’s wing of the Party, during the Supreme Court election petition.
Unlike Madam Otiko Djaba, she was heavily silent during the Supreme Court petition. Though very oratory in Ga, she mysteriously decided to shun away from the airwaves, and Party gatherings, to educate the masses, about the Party’s cause.
Questions these actions of Tina Mensah raise are many, and one can be sure that the discerning Party delegates, reading this piece, will arrive at the right answers.
Obviously tough, one can consider her failure to show solidarity to the cause of the NPP, by refusing to join the Party in the Supreme Court room for even a day, and in prayers, as an act of betrayal, and a show of defiance to the direction of the party’s leadership.
As stated, Madam Tina Mensah and her group has incessantly accused the NPP National Women’s Organiser, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba of being a mole of President John Mahama and the NDC, with the lame reason being that she comes from the same family as the President’s mother.
Permit me to ask the obvious, but, does one choose the family she or he is born into?; and is there not a plethora of examples of blood relatives who belong to different political ideologies? How about Abu Jinapor of the NPP and his brother John Jinapor of the NDC? Who is the mole? Have we forgotten Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo of the NPP, and his brother Dr. Agyei Maafo of the NDC? And Kakra Essamuah – he was once a former leading member of the NPP. Today, he is a leading communicator for the NDC. Does that make him an NPP mole in the NDC?
What is more important is how we live our lives, the paths we choose and the ideology we seek to support. In any case, is Madam Tina Mensah not related to the Sakumono Constituency Organiser of the NDC?
Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba has proven beyond doubt that with her track record of loyalty, competency, and Party discipline, which are manifested in the many laudable policies and projects she undertook, she is capable of managing the NPP women’s wing to victory 2016. What remains to be seen or heard, is whether Tina Mensah can contest Otiko’s track record, devoid of character assassination.
It is hoped that by this piece, Madam Tina Mensah will re-focus her campaign message on proposals of efficient management of the Party’s women’s wing, and how she is going to spear-head the empowerment of the Ghanaian woman, among others.
While members, supporters, and sympathizers of the great NPP, seek a decent character-assassination-free campaign, in an arena of free expression, it is important to set the records straight, should any candidate and their team continue to disingenuously, descend on the character and loyalty of others.
To the august Party delegates of the NPP, please be cued, that there will be many in the last days who will believe in the cause and ideology of the NPP, and many who will fake belief. They will all sit side by side and chant the same Party slogans. They will quote from the same Party constitution and champion the content of the same party’s manifesto, but in reality, these people are never really believers of the cause and ideology of the NPP. Their faith in the Party is fake. They will flee and abandon the Party when the going gets tough and will parochially seek their selfish comfort zone when they are needed most. By their fruits, you shall know them.
Best of luck to all contestants in the NPP, and May the best come out victorious.

ELIZABETH MARTEY
iamelektra@gmail.com