-TELL YOUR SUPPORTERS NOT TO CELEBRATE ON AUGUST 7

By 6pm on Saturday August 7, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have known who its candidate will be for election 2012. The day is not going to be a victorious day for any candidate who eventually wins. It will only in my view rather be just the start of the real contest. The winner will faced with the very urgent task of uniting the party for victory in 2012 as his number priority!

I can tell that, the bitterness that has characterized this contest is so huge. There is a general mistrust that spreads and cuts across every polling station, constituency, regional, and National levels of the NPP. And I hope nobody will want to pretend about this issue and say “it is just a perception”

The situation is even pervasive between supporters of Nana Addo and Alan Kyeremateng. Though that bitterness is visibly countrywide, it is however very deep in the Akan constituencies! The election has assumed an Akyem and Ashanti dimension period! Those who want to pretend about it should enjoy themselves with their hypocritical pretence!

It is so appalling and highly unfortunate that, a national political party which is expected to be for all is faced with this unfortunate problem at this time of its life. If I had the power I would have asked Nana Addo and Alan Kyeremateng to forget about their fanatical political dreams for now in the name of the future of the NPP.

My position has been and still that, Professor Frimpong Boateng will unify the NPP better than any other candidate. It is my wish that, the delegates will see the division and bitterness that would bedevil the NPP should Nana Addo or Alan wins on Saturday and makes the right choice.

However, Irrespective of who will eventually win on Saturday, the winner and his supporters must be told that, it is an NPP victory and not victory to taunt and insult other aspirants in songs and concert parties. It will be very difficult to unite the party for election 2012, if the arrogance of “It is our win not your win sets in”.

The aspirants and their supporters must be told that, the election of Saturday is to elect NPP presidential candidate for election 2012 and not president of Ghana already. Any celebration therefore will be a provocation that will make things difficult for the NPP rather than a celebration that will unite the party. Any celebrations must be deferred to 2012!

I wish to therefore call on the National Executives of the NPP, the electoral commission of the NPP, the Council of Elders of the NPP and all those who love the party and wish it well to embark on “A no celebration on August 7” campaign. This is not about infringing on anybody’s right to celebrate; it is about protecting and uniting the NPP for election 2012.

Any winner must also ensure that, the right candidates present themselves for parliamentary elections of the NPP. Competency rather than loyalty should be the key requirements. There is however nothing wrong, if somebody who is both competent and loyal wants to contest as a Member of Parliament.
The passage of the bogus STX agreement by the NDC in parliament with their simple majority advantage should also serve as a warning to the NPP so that, nothing will be done by any ultimate winner on Saturday to trigger marathon independent parliamentary candidates from within the NPP.

The news in town is that, most of the people including the incumbent parliamentarians declared their support in particular for Nana Addo in anticipation that, if he wins on Saturday, he will help impose them on their various constituencies discretely! Any imposition will also mean independent candidates from within the NPP.

Let us all wait and see how any eventual winner will manage and unite the party from Saturday. However let all be reminded that, this is not time for provocative celebrations!


AKILU SAYIBU, UK
EMAIL: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk