“The outcome for the November 4, 2023, NPP congress and presidential primaries is certain – Nana Akufo-Addo’s anointed candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, will be nominated for the 2024 Presidential Elections as programmed.” – Martin Amidu, 31 October 2023
The New Patriotic Party presidential primaries came to pass as ordained by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the family and friends’ anointed successor to the President as pre-programmed was crowned the leader of the NPP in fulfilment of the dream that “Mahamudu Bawumia is a safe pair of hands to give Nana Akufo-Addo the third term in office he seeks using a surrogate.”
The euphoria of the moment brought out what otherwise had been a covert planned game for the succession to the one person trusted to protect President Nana Akufo-Addo and his regime of family, friends, cronies, and hangers-on in the quiet enjoyment of their loot from the public purse after 7 January 2025.
Nana Akufo-Addo could not hide his elation and happiness about the success of his long rehearsal for winning the 2024 Presidential Election by hook or crook for his anointed successor as the NPP flagbearer. Nana Addo on the night of 4 November 2023 at the Accra Sports Stadium in addressing the NPP faithful gathered for the introduction of the new party leader stated that:
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“I want to thank every single NPP person here that for the last 16 years – 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2020, you have conferred your confidence in me to lead this great party, you have honoured me an honour I can never ever forget, and you have allowed me to serve the party, through the party, to serve the people of Ghana. I have done my best but I still have one more task to do and that is with all my strength, all my energy, to help the new flagbearer, Mahamudu Bawumia win the election of 2024.” (Emphasis supplied – See November 5, 2023 Myjoyonline.com)
Nana Akufo-Addo has done his best since losing the 2008 elections with Mahamudu Bawumia, and upon assuming the presidency together on 7 January 2017 with all their strength, all their energy, to actualize the long game of helping Mahamudu Bawumia win the 4 November 2023 presidential primaries as a stepping stone to win the 2024 Presidential Election using incumbency advantage and abuse of the security and electoral process provided for under the 1992 Constitution. Listen yourself to the 6.21-minute self-adulation of Nana Addo on: Ghana cannot afford the return of the NDC, especially under the leadership of Mahama – Akuffo-Addo.
The 4 November 2023 presidential primaries might pass for being free on the ballot day for the 200,000 special delegates from across the country made up mostly of NPP appointees and political office holders of various categories for the secrecy of the vote. The total valid votes were 193,346. The rejected votes were 900 and the turnout was 94.63% of the total votes cast. But it could not pass for being transparent and fair because it was opaquely and unfairly organized from the beginning of the electoral process under the thumb and control of Nana Akufo-Addo and Mahamudu Bawumia to achieve a pre-programmed outcome under the smokescreen of a democracy.
The real hero and winner of the 4 November 2023 presidential contest was Kennedy Ohene Agyapong who against all odds and vilification by the Presidency, Ministers of State, a 2
majority of his colleagues in parliament, and other public and party officer holders secured a clean 37.41% of votes and won only two regions out of the sixteen regions of Ghana. Without incumbency advantage and abuse of public resources exhibited by the establishment and its candidate, Kennedy Agyapong would definitely have carried the day.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong’s sportsmanship and generosity in playing along in conceding defeat and pretending that the process was fair and transparent must be admired by those who are wired to operate upon the pressure of public opinion. Unlike Alan Kyerematen and Boakye Agyarko, Mr Agyapong agreed to take part in a flawed process in the hope of a miracle that will bring him victory. It would have looked like sour grapes if he had not played along and praised the flawed process.
Nana Akufo-Addo has jumped the last hurdle to actualize his long game to break the 8 by the nomination of Mahamadu Bawumia as his successor flagbearer of the NPP for the 2024 Presidential Election. This cynical achievement is at the same time a wakeup call to all other political parties who intend to contest the 2024 Presidential Election against the anointed Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, to be alert and to mobilize to police every move by the Nana Akufo-Addo and Mahamudu Bawumia to ensure that the processes leading to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections are actually free, fair, and transparent to the letter and the spirit of the 1992 Constitution.
The packed Electoral Commission (EC) and how it goes about organizing for the 2024 elections from now onwards has to be closely watched, scrutinized, and policed by each political party not in government. The Ministry of National Security and the leadership of its agencies selectively appointed on partisan grounds have to be closely watched and marked consistently. The use or misuse of the Ghana Armed Forces for uncalled-for internal security operations towards the 2024 elections has to be closely watched and contested. The administration of justice, particularly, the conduct of the Chief Justice in the processes of handling electoral matters has to be subjected to citizens’ vigilance and defence of the Constitution. Let us for God’s sake remember Gabon and protect the 1992 Constitution.
The danger posed by the EC was particularly evident even in the internal presidential primaries run by the NPP’s packed EC, as in Prof. Ransford Gyampo’s observations about the declaration of the 4 November 2023 election results by Director of Elections, Dr. Serebour Quiacoo when he wrote that:
“…Can’t the EC be accurate in the declaration of results? The last time in 2020, they corrected themselves more than 5 times in declaring the election results. Yesterday too, they announced 91% instead of 61%. They could also not do a simple computation of percentages of votes for the rest of the candidates. This is unprecedented.”
The time has come to take the warning about the intention of Nana Akufo-Addo to abuse the spirit of the 1992 Constitution to achieve an outcome at the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections favourable to him as insurance in his retirement seriously. Ghana’s democracy, the rule of law and constitutionalism enshrined in the letter and the spirit of the 1992 Constitution must be defended by all patriotic citizens even if the heavens fall.
Martin A. B. K. Amidu
5 November 2023
