Opinions of Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Columnist: Michael Kessey

Nana Addo and the burden of leadership

… and they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than we should die in the wilderness”

And the people murmured against Moses…And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: They said to them they had preferred to die by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt where they sat by the fresh pots and ate bread to the fullest, for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill all this assembly with hunger”.

The above explained the burden and challenge Moses encountered in the course of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. It wasn’t an easy but a herculean task. I am sure Nana Addo is presently in this quagmire. Like Moses on my mind. A misunderstood activist, he is almost becoming a victim of his own creation. One man who champions the stability of this country after the Supreme Court verdict. A Champion of democratic struggles in Ghana, a selfless labour leader who has always sacrificed personal comfort for the common good, he is now being derided over the upcoming NPP Presidential primaries by some supporters of his own brothers aspiring to lead the NPP family.

Like Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage, so will Nana Addo lead the NPP come 2016 general elections to the promise land. He, with others struggled for a democracy that would guarantee Ghanaians access to quality education, healthcare and good physical infrastructure. These heroes struggled for a country where every Ghanaian would have legitimate means of livelihood. They fought for a country that would enhance the productive capacities of every Ghanaian. They fought for a country where every Ghanaian will live in dignity.

Besides Moses, Jesus Christ comes to mind. He saved the world, but the world rejected him. The world preferred Barabas, Needless to remind us of the miracles God performed through Moses yet, they complained. Remember the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters became a wall on their right and left hand. Isn’t this a remembrance of how Nana Addo came to Politics to rescue us from Political bondage we found ourselves in since 2008 when the NDC assumed power?

Undoubtedly Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo after the Supreme Court verdict has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that he is not a desperate Politician, but a patriotic son of mother Ghana who had special love and divine mandate to fulfill the promise of good nation to the people of Ghana. He has also proven his Political critics wrong that he is a man of peace and respect the rule of law. Where would Ghana be if we did not have a compassionate and kind personality like Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo who had mother Ghana at his mercy and yet decided to allow Ghanaians to continue to enjoy peace? Thank God he has blessed us with a Politician who fears Him and does not want to shed blood of innocent Ghanaians.

We are fortunate to have several distinguished personalities in our great party who have picked their forms to lead us to victory come 2016. Also NPP is blessed with an array of distinguished qualified personalities who equally have all it takes to lead the party in 2016, and whenever a position becomes vacant in the family, people in the family keenly contest but only one person will emerge the winner and the rest will be part of his regime and that is what we need now as one people, one family with a common destiny that is winning power for the suffering masses in Ghana.

Many Ghanaians are complaining that the party that can rescue them are not ready to deliver them from the oppressors rule not because they can’t rescue them but looking at the internal conflicts that is going on in the party it make this assertion shaky.

Ghanaians are asking these questions for one thing. This is it, NPP claimed they won the 2012 general elections and were cheated that was why they went to the Supreme Court and after the final verdict 90% of Ghanaians knew NPP had a good case that was why there were some recommendations to electoral commission by some judges and see no reason why some people in the NPP want to change a winning team headed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo. Nana Addo is still the right man to clinch power for the NPP and let no delegate make any mistake to change him.

Our Political opponents the NDC are scared of him that is why they are telling us which of the candidates would be tough for them. They knew Nana Addo as the most violent Politician and his reaction after the Supreme Court verdict has erased this perception bringing to light the real person he is on the inside. So now, they have absolutely nothing bad to tag him with that is why they are campaigning for one candidate in the contest.

It beats my imagination when I hear supporters of other aspirants saying he won the first round in 2008 and his votes reduced drastically. Have they taken their time to do a cross check on why he lost to late Professor Mills.

If they were not in Ghana that year then they should go to the Kumasi Central market traders and Kumasi taxi drivers and ask why they apparently refused to go and vote for NPP in the second round. We want to maintain power and at the same time decongestion exercise were seriously going on not in all regions but in our World Bank and taxi drivers were arrested and some were imprisoned and fined and we still want a massive vote.

When our Political opponents are going on demonstration for government to reduce fuel prices, we were in power then and did nothing about it until 2008 when it went to the round off that fuel price was reduced and the NDC Presidential candidate late Prof Fiifi Atta Mills capitalized on our blunder and punished us by promising Ghanaians he will reduce the price of fuel drastically and Ghanaians booted us out of Government. How on earth would a candidate survive under these circumstances?

Let us all help Nana Akuffo Addo to fulfill his divine mandate for Ghanaians by giving him another chance to lead our great party to victory come 2016.Ghanaians will not forgive us if we don’t bring Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Mammud Bawumia back. They won the election over us that was why all the aspirants supported the NPP leadership headed by Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey to send the 2012 elections to court. If we want Ghanaians to take our party serious and prepared to unseat the NDC then we should not change our flag bearer Nana Addo because the moment we change him, Ghanaians will take us the NPP as not faithful and truthful because we knew we lost the elections and we went to Supreme court to throw dust into their eyes where we remain confident that we won and our verdict was stolen from us. The NDC will not need any campaign message than telling Ghanaians we told you so. The NPP are liars and intentionally made sure they waste our eight ( 8 ) precious months at the Supreme Court and can you trust them if you give them power.

Looking at the timing it will be good for the party to rebrand Nana Akuffo Addo for 2016 because if we want to win sympathy vote from Ghanaians and floating voters to vote massively for us. Those who call on air asking if the NPP is ready for power is the floating voters who are itching to see Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo leading us to the Jubilee House in 2016. If power is what NPP need now then Nana Addo is the right man to take us to the promise land.

Ghanaians have only one Politician they believe is a peacemaker, and he’s in the person of Nana Akuffo Addo, who is destined to rule Ghana. He is a visionary and has all it takes to win power for NPP and Ghanaians who are itching for a change of government. The NDC and its leadership has failed Ghanaians big time and have nothing good to offer Ghanaians. Ever since they assumed power, they have continued to worsen the woes of Ghanaians to the extent that lunatics can’t even get debris from the refuse dump to eat.

They promised one time premium, fuel prices will be reduced drastically, they promised quality education for Ghanaians and can’t provide common chalk. They can’t pay capitation grant to head teachers to buy teaching and learning materials. My passionate appeal to the current leadership and the delegates is to give Nana Akuffo Addo another chance to lead the NPP to the Flagstaff House come 2016.

Changing Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo would be disastrous for our great party as Ghanaians who want change. Changing Nana Addo at this crucial moment will give NDC propaganda specialist a campaign weapon to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians that they told them NPP lost the elections in 2012 and out of shame went to court to deceive Ghanaians they were cheated and wasted our time at the Supreme Court for 8 solid months. No shaking Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo.