This weekend, all roads lead to the Accra Sports Stadium, where thousands of delegates of the New Patriotic Party will meet to choose a team of national executives to lead the party for the next four years.
More importantly, the team will be required to prove, under very trying times, that it is ready to work to help enhance the fortunes of the current administration and the country, as a whole, to effect a rebound.
Indeed, it must be in tune with relevant messages that encourage the Executive to deliver innovatively on its mandate in order to improve the party’s chances of retaining power in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Critical
The upcoming internal elections are very crucial to the fortunes of the incumbent administration, and this is reflected in the very challenging dynamics of the political landscape occasioned by sharp increases in food, fuel and transport costs.
The situation also becomes more critical when Ghana has a ‘hung’ Parliament that makes it difficult for the Executive to initiate equally critical programmes in rescuing the distressed economy.
We may admit that the contests also come against the background of a very impressive performance in the first tenure of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Unfortunately, most of the gains made at the time have been whittled away by the devastating effects of Covid-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war. How the party repositions itself to offer the government the required support to recover the lost gains must not be lost on those who will form the next set of national executives.
Healthy signs
During the campaign, almost all the aspirants stressed the need for unity and sacrifice as key ingredients in moving the party forward, and winning subsequent elections.
While the virtues in communication of messages were healthy and compelling, instances of ‘fight,’ ‘dissonance’ and ‘conflict’ in message-types from aspirants were minimal, an indication that the aspirants had come of age.
Going into the elections this weekend, the party’s rank and file may assure themselves that the worst will be over if, together, delegates and programme managers commit to fair play and justice in rolling out the processes.
Fortunately for the aspirants, delegates and the party at large, managers of the processes are experienced and sincere apparatchiki who can be trusted to deliver fairness and equity.
Getting the best
At this point, it is important for all the aspirants and their supporters to be reminded on the need to stay committed to their own messages in healing the party after the dust is settled.
Once there will be winners and losers, it is naturally expected that aspirants smile even in defeat in the knowledge that it is a party for everybody as long as the NPP stays in power to carry out its mandate of improving lives and livelihoods.
While we wish the NPP a successful congress, we would equally urge delegates to strive to dig deep within themselves to elect the best out of the several aspirants so that they can get a team that can support government to continue with its laudable programmes.
In sum, the delegates and other stakeholders of the party should focus on the collective interests of the country and the NPP as they congregate at the weekend for this all-important exercise.
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