If there were any lingering doubts that former Presidential candidate, Akuffo Addo and Jake Obetsibi Lamptey have a stranglehold on the NPP, those were quickly erased by recent events which saw the two party shoguns exert their influence and stamp their authority on the party. Their behind-the scene maneuvers to steer the party in a direction that suits their political ambitions are well known.
Not only are these men shattering the carefully crafted image the party has painstakingly built over the years, they are also hastening its slide into obscurity and irrelevance. This is an unfortunate turn for a party that until now was dominant, powerful and poised for “great things.” A series of policy initiatives had endeared it to Ghanaians and its signature policy, the National Health Insurance Scheme has been particularly popular.
A political party’s resilience is measured by its ability to rebound after an electoral loss with renewed vigor and a dynamism that will enhance its chances of recapturing lost glory. As the party plugs the many loopholes that contributed to its dismal performance, it sheds the ugly vestiges of the last elections, neutralizes internal dissension and revamps its image and soldiers on.
This inexorably brings up the question of the NPP’s post-election paralysis and incoherence. Is the National Patriotic Party (NPP) about to jettison all that is pivotal…..tradition, history and cooperative spirit…. to its survival as a viable political entity to languish in the political wilderness?
The party’s “carefully thought-out” decisions to pursue a legal challenge to the results of the just concluded presidential election against the Electoral Commission and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for allegedly stealing the elections and to boycott President John Mahama’s inauguration underscore its current dilemma.
And as would be expected, pundits, radio and TV talking heads are rejoicing in the party’s troubles. Some predict the party is bound for political oblivion and mediocrity with its influence significantly diminished and confined to its two bases…the Eastern and Ashanti regions.
Of course, two consecutive electoral defeats will throw a political party into a tailspin; the NPP shocked by its current defeat has recoiled into its shell. Self-doubts about the party’s political fortunes have surged and accusations are being hurled with little regard for truth. The party’s calm façade of unity has been cracked by internal dissensions and rival factions emboldened by their own intransigence have sharpened their knives and become impervious to wise counseling.
Many agree the lawsuit has been the catalyst though International and domestic poll observers were effusive in their praise of the December elections which they described as transparent and fair albeit a few technical glitches. The mounted legal challenge drove a wedge between those who thought it was completely misplaced and a pretty bad idea. They tried to dampen any enthusiasm for such a move but were immediately denounced as traitors and softies. And there are those who saw electoral redemption in appealing to the Supreme Court of Ghana. So, the internal war continues and the party bears the brunt.
When the National Patriotic Party (NPP) eventually wakes up from its self-induced Rip Van Winkle stupor …..as told by folklore, Rip Van Winkle was a wiry gentleman from Up-State New York who slept for twenty years only to wake up to a vastly changed world…..it will find to its utter dismay that the country has long moved on from the 2012 elections. The party will also be jolted by the realization that its political fortunes have sunk to new lows.
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