Nana, it’s Time to throw in the Towel.

The words of our elders are words of wisdom. The wise man hears and gets wiser. We are also told that we must leave the scene when the oration is loudest. Mohammed Ali forgot or did not pay heed to this cardinal principle in life and got humiliated by novices and ordinary boxers.

Today, our nation is at the edge of the precipice for push has turned to shove………… There is an imminent threat of a constitutional crisis. But do we sit down unconcerned and allow such a thing to happen? Does the New Patriotic Party have to be the cause, when, with a little bit of flexibility on our part we can avert such a crisis and write our name in gold? I have always maintained my stand that two wrongs do not make a right. That I love the NPP is without any iota of doubt. Thus, I will not do anything deliberately to negatively impact on the fortunes of the party. I am therefore making this proclamation with the best of intention

However, I strongly disagree with the position taken by the party to go to court on the issue of allegations of electoral malpractices, irregularities, intimidation of party’s supporters and violence precipitated against NPP supporters in the Volta Region.

The just ended Presidential elections can be compared to a wrestling encounter between two famous wrestlers. In such a fight everything counts. Rules are broken with impunity. A fighter might be on the verge of winning. Then, somebody from the crowd comes with a chair and knocks him down. The person from the crowd might even put his ‘man’ on top of the victim.

The referee gives his three mandatory counts and the better fighter is declared the loser simple. Both the NPP and the NDC went into the election with a lot of tricks up their sleeves. It happened that my party, the NPP had no answers to the unorthodox tactics of the NDC and they mauled us. This is as simple as that. It is therefore too late to cry ‘wolf’ over spilled milk. The New Patriotic Party went into this election with the belief that it was a done deal whereas the rival National Democratic Congress spent a lot of its time and money planning, training, strategizing and re-strategizing. The NPP forgot that in politics, just like in Wrestling, everything counts. The National Democratic Congress has proved that when it comes to organization and the use of strategies, it is way ahead of the New Patriotic Party. Whereas the NDC even sent some of its members to learn some strategies/ tricks from those countries, the NPP just relied on its past glories. And in the end, we have paid the ultimate price – loss of the Presidency and control of Parliament.

Now, even if the allegations of the atrocities that were alleged to have taken place in the Volta Region are investigated and they go in our favour, the best scenario would be to re-order elections in both the Ashanti and the Volta Regions. I don’t think we shall come out better off.

The downfall of a man is not the end of his life. After all, Mills tried unsuccessfully to win the presidency many times but he never gave up. Now his efforts have been crowned with success for he has gained the ultimate – The Presidency. The late J. B. Danquah attempted the London Matriculation Examination thrice before success came his way.

So, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should concede defeat now, go back to the drawing board and re-strategize. Such a scenario would be akin to taking a step backward in order to move two steps forward. This is the most honourable thing to do in the circumstance. He has fought a good fight but the people of Ghana say, it is not yet his time. And so he has to put a break to his ambition, at least for now. There is time for everything, and so, I say, “Better days ahead for you, Nana”

What are the implications of conceding defeat? It will enable the party to still retain the goodwill of people of this country. It will enable the party to take stock of its achievements and shortcomings. It will restore hope to members of the party. Instead of dissipating time and resources on a long and ‘unwinnable’ legal battle, the party can quickly put its aces together to re-assure its numerous supporters that better days are ahead.

Instead of allowing the present day National Executives of the party and the campaign team to lead us on this fruitless and tortuous journey by roaming aimlessly in the wilderness, the party should as a matter of urgency, relieve them of their duties and put in place a much more vision-oriented and dedicated leadership.

For what is the essence of retaining in office, such an executive which had no foresight to anticipate the antics of our political opponent so as to take relevant steps to nip them in the bud? What is the essence of retaining such an executive which could not envisage that Tain would be the deciding factor and that they best it could do in such a circumstance was to send representatives of the party to salt the ground before the announcement by Dr Afari Djan?

Infact, the defeat of the NPP should be blamed fully on the Peter Manu-led National Executives and members of the campaign team led by Dr Apraku, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Arthur Kennedy and others. They became tin gods unto themselves and were not ready to listen to advice from any quarters. They would not even pick up calls from committed members of the party. At the appropriate time, I shall tackle issues which resulted in the defeat of the Great Osono Party.

The National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party was given the specific task of ensuring the success of the party at both the Presidential and the Parliamentary elections. If, in spite of the numerous advantages the party had over its rival, it allowed the National Democratic Party to snatch power from its clutches, the Executive Committee should do the only honourable thing – Resign en -block.

Would you believe that it took some of us three solid years to get our membership cards? At a stage, any person who went for the party’s identity card was looked upon as a potential rival to some incumbent office holders and Members of Parliament? That was how bad it was. Yet the party leadership looked on unconcerned as if everything was well. And now, see what it has led us!

And as it is with every football coach who is given the task of qualifying his team for one competition or the other, the onus lies on him to resign if he fails in his number one assignment; I am making a case for the dissolution of the National Executives Officers of the New Patriotic Party with immediate effect. A Care- taker Committee should be appointed to run the affairs of the party pending the election of a new and much more vibrant National Executives.

Infact, as at now, the morale of party members is at its lowest ebb. We need strong words of encouragement to uplift the mood of ordinary members of the party. The current leadership should, as a matter of urgency, explain to us what went wrong, and why it could not match the NDC boot for boot during the electioneering campaign. They should also explain to us why they starved the foot soldiers of funds which was a pre-requisite for an effective campaign. What happened to monies earmarked for such purpose and who and who kept those monies?

Whoever gave the advice that the party should contest the Tain election did not mean well for the party. We expect our party leadership to analyze every scenario with a fine toothcomb and come up with the best solution under the circumstance. The leadership should not jump at every carrot dangled before its eyes before realizing that such a seemingly juicy carrot is nothing but a Greek Gift. Why did the leadership made a u-turn after it had given its word it would contest the election? No matter the answers some party men and women would proffer, I still insist that such reckless decision did not portray the party in a very good light.

In fact, our eyes are very red. We are angry at our party executives and campaign co-coordinators for letting us down. While some of us complained about certain acts of omission and commission, they told us not to panic for everything was under control. But see what they have done to us. They led us on a visionless route for the number of years they have held sway as lords and masters of the party. But see where they have led us! They have made us orphans.

But all is not lost. To the down-hearted party men and women, I appeal to them not to lose hope, for behind every cloud, there is a silver lining and whenever there is rainfall, there is bound to be sunshine. God allows certain things to happen in our lives to tell us that all is not well. Such things happen so that we will re-examine our lives. It appears we have been arrogant and haughty in our dealings with our fellow human beings and this is the repercussion of such actions.

To committed members of the New Patriotic Party, I entreat you to take solace in the words of these two songs: ‘Courage brother, do not stumble, Though thy path be as dark as night There is a star to guide the humble Trust in God and do the right”

And “There’s a fight to be fought

And a battle to be won There are dangers to meet by the way But the Lord is my strength// And the Lord is my strength and stay On his word I depend, He’s my saviour and strength And He tells me to trust and obey But the Lord is my strength and stay.”

Daniel Danquah Damptey. [email protected]