Providence was kind to the NPP in the last general election, given the internal turmoil it was embroiled in before the election. The lessons from that episode ought to inform the party as to the calibre of person it needs to chair its affairs in the lead up to the 2020 elections.

Lessons from the general election itself highlight the kind of person best-suited to lead the party. In the light of the above, there can be no doubt as to the best candidate upon whom to entrust the fortunes of the party.

In the run-up to the election the electioneering extravaganza of the incumbent NDC appeared to have bedazzled the NPP’s acting chairman, Mr Freddie Blay, and caused him a momentary lapse of loyalty.

It is something of a surprise, therefore, that he is in the race. As to Mr Stephen Ntim who has been in the national chairmanship race thrice already, one cannot see much to commend him to the delegates, either.

But his supporters suggest his selling point is his perennial quest for the chairmanship. They insist that somehow his losing streak will engender a groundswell of sympathy which will attract delegates to him.

In a party sworn to distance itself from defeat for four terms, voting out of sympathy for a man unable to win an election and against a bona fide winner rival may be stretching sympathy too far.

It requires the utmost leap of faith. And this takes us nicely to the next candidate.

It’s ALHAJI SHORT, the hat-trick chairman! This man knows how to lead and he knows how to win. The array of competences Alhaji Short deployed in the 2016 elections was what drove the splendid success the party scored in the Upper West. Beyond his home region, his immense leadership acumen is perfectly exemplified by his superb role as the chairman of chairmen within the NPP.

The 'chairman of chairmen' title isn't an empty designation; it's a role that carries the weighty responsibility of ensuring liaison between regional chairmen in addition to acting as their spokesperson. And, for what it’s worth, Alhaji Short's role as a member of the disciplinary committee which, against the destructive tide of internal conflict, sailed the troubled ship safely ashore is ample testimony to his mettle as the leader needed in challenging times as well as in calm waters.

While others come into this race on the bases of wobbly loyalty and previous (perennial) candidacy, respectively, this splendid grassroots man comes with the best possible recommendation - solid, hands-on, fresh-off-the-field, in-house experience in a track record of selfless service and unalloyed loyalty and dedication to the cause of the NPP spanning the life cycle of the NPP. If the NPP is looking to raise its stock, so to speak, it should be quick to snatch this man as its national chairman. The profile of Alhaji Short fits the bill and the NPP has its man.