NDC 2024: Which way forward?

The Conservative Party in the UK as we speak is contemplating recalling Boris Johnson as prime minister after the governing party lost a parliamentary seat in a by-election that it had held for nearly 200 years.

The North Shropshire seat flipped from a 23,000 Conservative majority to a 6,000 Liberal Democrat win. In private, Johnson's lawmakers are talking seriously about how long he can carry on as UK Prime Minister. They are worried this result shows voters are catching onto the idea of tactical voting and that Johnson's ability to lock down Brexit voters might have waned.

The loss comes in the same week that Johnson's own MPs openly defied him by voting against new Covid measures in parliament. Some 99 Conservatives defied the Prime Minister.

Essentially, the Conservative party fears Boris Johnson has run out of ideas and lost his touch.

Over here in Ghana, a sitting President lost an election in a very humiliating fashion in 2016, and the party that he represented and humiliated at the polls actually kept faith in him to run again in 2020.

The NDC mindset at the time was all about the party wanting nothing more than screwing itself over for the feathering of Mahama's own nest. As if that is not enough, folks are eager to stir up hysteria and paranoia for congress to dutifully nominate him again at the forthcoming NDC primaries ahead of 2024.

Somehow Mahama has been convinced or convinced himself into an utter sense of entitlement to toy with the NDC without any self-doubt. Does he not look in the mirror in the middle of the night and reflect on the message embedded in the failures scattered around him with regards to his electoral politics?

I'm quite frankly amazed that a couple of the NDC bigwigs have said Mahama ought to be given one last chance. Why give him that much? It's quite sickening how some of our folks are failing to get the message of just how Mahama is out of tune with voters at this point in time.

I mean, it doesn't take much intelligence, but a simple understanding of the politics involved to be aware that Mahama's incessant pursuit of the presidency after his failure to hang on to power in 2016 is creating havoc and misery for the NDC.

I may be overly pessimistic about Mahama's electoral politics but it is what it is - Indeed, I tried being optimistic about the man but had to give up as it was like hitting my head against a brick wall repeatedly. The NDC can't win with him - The NDC can't continue to have a death wish with leadership that failed in two successive outings.

An over 30% swing in safe NDC seats as there was in 2020, suggests that Mahama is no longer seen as an election winner. And let no one underestimate the significance of NPP winning Hohoe for the first time in our electoral history, and basically eating into NDC's traditional strongholds.

This was a constituency that would almost have elected a rock painted in NDC colors, and has always been a safe enough seat. It clearly shows that there is no glorious progressive future on the horizon. Instead, there is the real threat of the party descending further into the political abyss with Mahama in charge of affairs.

How about a fresh face for a two-term NDC presidency taking into account the 8-year cycle starting in 2024? But then, folks are advocating for a one-term presidency with Mahama. Granted, Mahama gets the nod to lead the NDC in 2024, what happens to the NDC in 2028? Clearly, the party would automatically have to introduce a new face, and would that help the party's fortunes?

The NDC cannot afford to place its future in the hands of someone who believes “he has unfinished business to come back to,” or someone who failed to lead when he had the opportunity, yet snort like an overweight piglet in anticipation for a comeback.

What the electorate wants is a consummate leader who can make sensible decisions. There ought to be a feeling that mature adults are in charge of the NDC. The party needs someone who would restore some faith in the broken party. The NDC needs to rise together with a fresh face, and with a new mandate to lead the party into 2024.

Then again, the tragedy for us all is that with Mahama in charge, the NDC will continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I shall return.