Samia – Poor handling of defeat

I have always held Samia Nkrumah in high esteem but her public management of her loss to Ivor Greenstreet in the party’s Presidential contest has left a sour taste.

In what many consider a shocking upset of tsunami proportions, Samia as the CPP’s immediate past Chairman and the party’s one-time sole Parliamentarian lost to the highly formidable Ivor Greenstreet, former General Secretary.

New interest in CPP

Clearly, Greenstreet is the man of the moment, winning a very comfortable 65 per cent of valid votes cast. Bold, articulate, and forthright, he has proven to have the courage of his own convictions and as a result, struck a chord with the grassroots of the party and with Ghanaians. Suddenly, interest in the Convention People’s Party has been reignited beyond the immediate Nkrumah fraternity.

The press reviews of Greenstreet have been extremely flattering. In an interview with Joy FM, Dr Yao Graham refused to be dismissive of the chances of the CPP under a Greenstreet leadership, the CPP’s contemporary electoral performances notwithstanding. Dr Graham cited the appearance of a Kwame Nkrumah or a Jerry Rawlings onto the political scene, with bold and fresh perspectives while articulating the concerns of the common man. This sincere and passionate posture led to new loyalties and new mass political movements etc.

In Greenstreet’s words, “This is the beginning. We are offering ourselves as the vehicle for the frustrated Ghanaian, who is tired of the bogus and empty promises of their leaders. We are offering ourselves on a new path in the digital age. We are offering ourselves to offer you service with honesty, service with commitment, and we believe that if you believe in us, we would provide the opportunity you all are asking for.”

Samia dampens the mood

Clearly, this was the CPP’s moment to bask in all the glory, but Samia could apparently not resist the temptation to dampen the mood.

First of all, she immediately levelled allegations of vote buying against Greenstreet even though she would herself later admit in an interview to giving a “token to make delegates feel comfortable….” In addition to “food and drinks.”

My question then becomes one of how Samia categorises whatever Greenstreet allegedly gave to delegates as “bribery” while leaving her own “token” unscathed. Isn’t the reality rather that most parties, the CPP inclusive, do not appear to have clear guidelines on the extent of the financial interaction between candidates and delegates, thus ,leaving room for the well-resourced to hold sway? Further, given Samia obviously has great appetite to engage continuously in CPP politics, where does this allegation, described in certain quarters as an insult to the same delegates that voted for her chairmanship, leave her with the party delegates?

If Samia has congratulated Greenstreet, then it must have happened in secret, because in the press, the reportage is that she has not. This, portrayed as bitterness and lack of grace in defeat, has also not done her image much good.

Rather, within 24 hours of her defeat, - presumably in indecent haste – Samia was on major news channels speaking about her candidacy for the Jomoro Constituency as the CPP’s Parliamentary candidate. In addition, because she either totally ignored or passed uncomplimentary comments about the Greenstreet victory, a top of the mind issue to most people at the time, Samia portrayed herself as somewhat impulsive and perhaps too narrowly focused on her individual political project. Indeed in subsequent public interactions, she would speak and write passionately about “my plans and objectives … my vision for the CPP… our mission!” Now it is entirely possible that these were all said and done inadvertently, but the unmistakable reality is that the overall effect has not been flattering to dear Samia.

In politics, roaring comebacks are always a concrete possibility. The dislike of the electorate is fleeting and affections can always be readily restored. We cite Bill Clinton, trailing badly in the US Democratic Presidential primaries in the 1992 campaign. He appeared to be succumbing to reports of an extra marital affair. Subsequently, he took what was deemed a “calculated risk” and appeared on the 60 Minutes show with his wife Hillary to “rebuff the charges.” This tactic seems to have worked, leading to the media labelling Clinton the “Comeback kid.”

If Samia is to become the CPP’s “comeback kid”, I would think that publicly recognising Ivor Greenstreet’s political integrity and robust grassroots credentials would be an important component of it. Congratulations to Greenstreet and all the best in the upcoming campaign!