Opinions of Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Columnist: Ebo Buckman
Let me, first and foremost, establish these three facts about politics and, for that election, humbly teach Annoh-Dompeh something he needs to know.
The first fact is that politics is a game of numbers. To win it, you would need a candidate who can help you to have higher numbers to win. Does Annoh-Dompreh really believe that Alhaji Bawumia, who rose to fame and has fallen to shame on the back of Ghana's economy, has what it takes to personally bring in the numbers against JM? Asem o!
Fact two is that it is a game of strategy. Political strategy must lead you to have significant advantage in terms of numbers to win power. I want Annoh-Dompreh to mention just one significant advantage Alhaji brings to the table over John Mahama. Perhaps he has some special advantage on the economy. I’m waiting!
Again, politics is a game of words. In politics you convince people or drive people away with your words. Two important things about political statements are that they are eternal and that they are measurable against performance.
For instance, 'when the fundamentals are weak...' statement, is currently being measured against performance. Can the Veep pass the test of his words on the economy in the past against his current performance as head of EMT?
The jury is out there.
With the above facts established and questions asked, we can now proceed to establish why Annoh-Dompreh has a weak analytical mind.
According to his 'baselessly insane' claim, which is making the rounds on social media, Dr. Bawumia is the arrowhead that can penetrate the NDC strongholds of Zongos, North and the Volta Region to ensure our victory in 2024. How laughable!
This, he said without any basis or data to back it. As funny as he could sound, he spoke as though only the NPP had the right to penetrate the NDC's backyard. His weak analytical mind failed to think that the NDC has an equal right to also penetrate the NPP’s backyard, and, so, there is a need to have a candidate who can protect and increase our votes in our backyard.
The NDC’s 26.3% performance in the 2020 election in the Ashanti Region, for instance, was a fantastic improvement on the 23% in 2016. With a weak candidate like the Alhaji, the NDC would easily cross their 30% target, and that would be a disaster for the NPP.
He obviously mentioned Alhaji as the best to penetrate the Zongos because, in his weak mind, he thinks that, being a Muslim, Alhaji will have a kind of advantage over Mahama in the Zongos. Smh! Any objective person who knows our political history since 1992 and knows why the Muslim community became an NDC stronghold would tell you there is no spine or basis whatsoever to help his bogus claim stand upright.
In actual fact, some of the NDC Zongo brethren see him as someone who betrayed his late NDC father by crossing over to the NPP in 2008. Besides, he seems to have infuriated most of the Zongo people with the way he has been going to church to dance, for akwankyere, and for hands to be laid on him.
However, for the purpose of exposing his weak analytical mind, let’s assume that indeed Alhaji can increase NPP votes in the zongos by, say, 20%. Wonderful! Now, what his weak analytical brain failed to capture is that JM is also a Christian and can have a significant advantage over Alhaji in the Christian community, where the majority of the numbers are located. An advantage he couldn’t have over Nana Addo. As to which of the two advantages would be more deadly against the other, your guess is as good as mine.
As for Annoh-Dompreh’s claim that Dr. Bawumia is the candidate who can penetrate the Volta Region to win more votes for the NPP, the least talked about it the better. I find it to be the most baseless and senseless claim any politician can make. The man was recently hooted at openly in the Volta Region, and you are there saying what? This Annoh-Dompreh guy, paaa!
Now, to his claim about the North! So, Mr. Majority Chief Whip, you think Dr. Bawumia can go to the NDC's stronghold in the North and make a significant incursion there, but you don’t think JM can make a significant incursion in Ashanti and other Akan regions, if we mistakenly present Bawumia right? Is that your analytical thinking? How poor can you be!
Again, you think Mahama being a Christian and his wife being a Christian and Akan won’t give them any form of advantage in the Christian and Akan communities over Alhaji and his Fulani wife, but you rather think the Vice President can have an advantage in the Zongos and the North because of his connection there, right? This Annoh-Dompreh guy dey shock me!
Truth be told, the NPP would be doomed to think of winning more Zongo and Northen votes without thinking of how to possibly increase the Christian and Akan votes. Let me humbly entreat all well-meaning patriots to treat Annoh-Dompreh’s bogus claim with a pinch of salt. He is a confused guy.
With hard-core facts, figures and cogent analysis, I will come again to show Annoh-Dompreh why Alan Kyerematen is NPP’s best arrowhead for 2024.