NPP Is Doomed If It Elects Apraku For 2016

The presidency is a serious business and so must not be left to people who are on an ego trip, just because they have an inclination for it. The highest office of the land is not a try an error affair; we cannot leave the governance of this country in the hands of individuals whose claim to it is borne out of vendetta and personal aggrandizement. The power game currently going on in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is nothing but an embarrassment. If the contest as being carried out were truly driven by selflessness and an honest desire to serve the people as the jostlers often claim, the atmosphere would be reassuring. But this is not so. And they know it. The unbroken boisterous shout from one side to the effect that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo must go for a third time, and the sometimes over-the-top counteractive defiance from the other, is down to only one thing: self-interest. Many names have been flying around as possible candidates to lead the NPP in the 2016 elections. Among the names is Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku. Pollster and Managing Editor of the Dispatch, Ben Ephson had this to say about him �former Trade and Industry Minister, Kofi Konadu Apraku stands a greater chance of representing the NPP in the 2016 elections if�..� I strongly disagree with Ben Ephson on this one, the party is doomed should they make this grievous mistake of electing Dr. Apraku to lead them. Was this conclusion based on any scientific analysis of the trends in the party, I guess no. Ben Ephson�s analysis is simple. For purposes of clarity let hear him, ��How he gets his people elected will tell how well he will perform. Remember the delegates are more than a 100,000 or so. So if the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NPP is to have a mini election, he must be able to convince some of the elected members in order to win the candidacy. That is the first hurdle he must overcome�. So flawed is this analysis that one begins to ask, what purpose was this suppose to achieve? Konadu Apraku for President, how does that sound. This is insulting the generosity of Ghanaians for accepting that democracy is the way to go. It is said that democracy is an expensive enterprise, if not where in the world can the governance of this country, be contemplated to be left in the hands of somebody like Dr. Konadu Apraku. I mean no disrespect, but this country is far behind, in terms of development that we cannot at this time be thinking of leaving the management of it, in the hands of people like Dr. Apraku, who have nothing to show, when he was given a Ministerial appointment. Before, one can even consider his chances; it is germane to recap how, Dr. Konadu Apraku performed during the Congress in 2007 at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon to elect a flagbearer for the 2008 presidential elections. Dr. Apraku had a pathetic seventeen (17) votes out of the 2500 Delegates who assembled there on that day. Is this the same man we are talking about? This will be the biggest miracle after Jesus Christ walked on water or when he raised the dead to life, should Konadu Apraku win the flagbearership slot of the NPP. All I can say is that wonders shall never end. Now that the Electoral College of the party has been expanded to 100,000 Delegates, does Konadu Apraku stand any chance against more credible, better resourced, more exposed, experienced, tried and tested, and affable candidates? It was rumored that Dr. Apraku had expressed his intention to contest ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor for the 2004 elections, but was prevailed upon to rescind his decision. What this means is that he has natured this ambition of leading the party for some time now, so what could possible explain his abysmal performance in the 2007 Congress? Before any serious politician expresses any desire to contest an election, he or she must have done his or her homework, at least beyond every reasonable doubt that they have a chance of making a good showing, especially, in the case of Apraku, when he wanted to contest a sitting President. So what accounted for his poor performance in 2007? Your guess is as good as mine. The NPP Delegates have a date with destiny, when they assemble next year to elect a flagbearer. A decision that will mean, they either stay in opposition for a very long time or that they have a chance of coming to power, after President John Dramani Mahama, have finish serving his eight years term. The journey of rebuilding the party begins now. If they want the party to be a laughing stock of other parties, then Konadu Apraku is their man for 2016. Fate has presented them once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change their electoral fortunes for the better; Nana Addo has eroded it in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, a better candidate is what they need. The NPP is now left with only two regions, after having won six regions in both the 2000 and 2004 elections. Any wrong decision they take now by either foisting Nana Addo or Konadu Apraku on Ghanaians, will mean they will be left with only one region and that means opposition for another 32 years. There can be no better candidate than Alan Kwadwo Kyeremenaten, who among the pack is yet to formally declare his intention to contest the NPP�s flagbearership slot, ahead of the 2016 general elections. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten must be called upon to redeem his party, as it is on a spiral trend of going into extinction. The party as I have said is in a coma. The story of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) is there for them to see. The party has to be saved from its self-inflicted demons, like Jake Otanka Obetesbi Lamptey, the National Chairman, Kwawdo Owusu Afriyie, alias Sir John, the General Secretary, and the party can only be saved by re-inventing it and voting for more proactive and vibrant leaders. Dr. Konadu Apraku is a non-starter, Alan kyeremanten Is the lifeline NPP needs.