Opinions of Wednesday, 18 December 2024

Columnist: Nana Antwi Boasiako Barimah

'The Reckless Addonitis Syndrome Garnished with a Bawumialised Kukrudu’: A surgico-postmorterm analysis of 2024 election defeat

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag

When a president deliberately decides to take a dystopian stance relative to the removal of his cousin from office as the finance minister, the resultant effect is a humiliating election defeat ever suffered by any incumbent government, which is in fact the first of its kind so far as our 4th Republican electoral history is concerned.

When a president who was otherwise known for his vibrant stance against corruption suddenly transmogrifies into a supposed 'clearing agent' and takes highly reprehensible steps to clear his appointees of corruption charges levelled against them even before constitutionally mandated institutions do so, of course, such an embarrassing election defeat shouldn't be surprising.

When the traditional rank and file of a party feels a president has imposed an unwanted flagbearer on a party, the resultant effect is expressed in a horrendous voter apathy that plagued our strongholds.

When an economic wizkid deviates from his core function and suddenly becomes Mr. Digitalization, trumpeting only technological innovations while the cedi continues to epileptically fall against major trading currencies, of course, you shouldn't expect to win an election on such abysmal track records.

When an elitist political movement like the great Kukrudu fraternity has the likes of Abronye and Wontumi as regional chairmen with their diarrhoeal-infested loose talks, you shouldn't expect well-thinking floating voters to vote for you. Before the party's internal elections, I prognosticated that such political irritants like Abronye and Wontumi could not be part of our calculus for victory in 2024. Yet delegates sacrificed our political fortunes on the altar of financial inducements!

When political appointees start exhibiting questionable opulence characterized by pomposity and sheer arrogance, of course, you shouldn't expect to win an election in any serious democracy.

When a party selects a running mate who is so infantile in his political submissions, who doesn't appeal to well-meaning Ghanaians due to his continuously irritating outbursts, of course, you shouldn't expect to win an election with such non-serious characters.

When parliamentarians fail to bond with electorates in their constituencies and further renege on their promises, you should expect a mass boot-out like what was witnessed in the elections.

The reckless Addonitis Syndrome is fast festering and it is metastasizing at such an alarming rate. The only antidote to completely rid the party of the Akyem mafias in order to restore some decency and confidence!

It is time for the party to have a retrospection and an introspection and take immediate practical steps to ameliorate this humiliating political quagmire that the party currently finds itself.

Long Live Our Democracy!