By Rockson Adofo

Ideas are what make a man a great person. Similarly, strategies are what make a political party win elections. This is the core message I have for NPP and especially, for its leadership today, Sunday 27 November 2016.

For how long should I keep on sounding this message to the leadership of NPP without getting the message sunk into their heads?

To win a general election is not by the effectiveness of one’s campaign slogan but by the effective communication of one’s message to the targeted electorates.

Strategically, effective communication with open communication links is a cardinal pivot on which all attempts to win a general election revolves.

I have time and time again, advised the NPP leadership to make themselves AVAILABLE and REACHABLE especially, during election time but this strategically vital advice doesn’t seem to sink in. They may be highly educated with higher paper qualifications but they seem to lack that means and knowledge of winning an election, or that practical wisdom required for winning an election has evaded them.

I have again said it numerously elsewhere that each person irrespective of their status, has been endowed with a gift from God and all these gifts come together to work for the common good of the society.

What is the reason for putting out this publication today, one may ask? It is all about the message communicated to me by one of the leading members of the “Mahama Must Go” movement presently in Ghana doing door to door campaigning with intent to garner more winning votes for Nana Akufo Addo and NPP in the upcoming Election 2016 scheduled for 7 December 2016.

According to him, when he took his campaigning to the market women yesterday, Saturday 26 November 2016, a woman approached him and said, “Please, could you explain to me what it means by somebody telling you, “if NPP had communication links, they could win 70% of the elections but unlike the NDC, who are very good at that, the NPP has not”

This campaigner asked her why this question and who told you that? She answered by saying, she is a student at the Kumasi Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and that her lecturer said that among many other things. She could not bring herself to ask the lecturer to explain his utterance because she did not want those present to know her political affiliation.

The campaigner said, by that it means the NPP have not many communication outlets, thus, access to adverts, the media, easy public interactions between the NPP leadership and the public on one hand, and the NPP members and their leadership on another. In all the mentioned areas, yes, the NDC by their propaganda machine are way ahead of the NPP.

Having said that, the woman was assured that her question will be brought to the attention of the NPP leadership and that she has to double her personal efforts to enlarge and strengthen our communication links with the public.

How some NPP leaders make themselves unreachable even at elections time beats my gumption. I may not fully blame them but they SHOULD endeavour to make themselves available and approachable at all times.

I know some people may be making some financial requests to them which should not be the case. However, this should not be the determinant for them to hide themselves. Be reachable and persuasively explain things to people and how they should bear with you for a while; telling them why you cannot meet certain requests if they should ask for say, financial help.

Also, communicate and intelligently explain some circumstances to the people.

Information reaching my desk indicates that some people intending to pass on vital information to their MPs cannot reach them. They will dial their numbers ten times a day for months but the MPs will not answer the calls even in critical election period.

To such MPs, they are clueless about how to win elections, I shall say this and emphasize on it. Why have we allowed the NDC to beat us on this important election winning strategy?

The simple fact of one having say, Nana Akufo Addo, Dr. Alhaji Mahammudu Bawumia, Sammy Awuku, Nana Akomea’s, etc. phone number, suffices the person’s willingness and eagerness to vote for NPP. This is according to the information being gathered on the ground. Whether they can reach them or not when they do call, will not be a matter to them but the pride they gain for possessing such numbers of people they value in society is what is of paramount importance to them.

For how long should I keep on telling you about this simple election strategy that always goes unheeded? You could obtain second phone lines for that purpose.

The public euphoria and the information on the ground are in favour of the NPP however, all the good strategies are to be implemented as it is said, “all is not over until it’s over” – we have not won the election until we have been declared the winners.

COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION OO COMMUNICATION, is a vital weapon to wield to win an election!

Let us all do effective communication by communicating the good policies of Nana Akufo Addo and NPP to the public.

When writing this publication, I had to stop for about thirty minutes to try to talk a friend of mine, one Mr. Owusu, out of his strong favourable views about, and support for, the NDC. My effective communication, explanations and pointing out to him how he is erroneously giving the credit and glory due God for what He has done for him and his son to the NDC, his mind is now wavering.

I shall move that member of the “Mahama Must Go” movement now in Ghana to Eastern region to have proper one to one conversation with Mr. Owusu and God willing, we shall get his vote for NPP.

It is all about COMMUNICATION, HAVING COMMUNICATION LINKS, OPENING UP MORE COMMUNICATION LINKS and MAKING YOURSELF REACHABLE AND AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE ELECTORATES!

The battle is still the Lord’s with the “third time lucky” chance coming Nana Akufo Addo’s way! Make this happen through effective communications.