Unity: NDC�s Trump-card For Victory In 2016

The newly-elected National Executives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by Dr. Sir Kofi Portuphy, the national Chairman won their respective positions in the just ended Kumasi Congress on the promise of oiling the wheels of the party to among other things retain power in the crucial 2016 elections. The outcome of the 8th national delegates� congress which was preceded with the Women and Youth Wing elections in Kumasi and Wa respectively, demands that the NDC needs to embark on an immediate and vigorous journey to mend all broken fences that might threaten the unity of the party. In order for the newly-elected executives to write their names in history books of Ghana as party executives to secure a third term victory for an incumbent party, they must bury their individual differences and work towards uniting the party. In fact the trump card after the congress should be unity. All the executives must be seen committed to whipping candidates who could not make it at congress back into the NDC and if possible carve a role for them to play ahead of the 2016 elections. It would be unconscionable and a threat to the survival of the NDC if the new executives marginalize the losing candidates and their supporters with the hopes of prosecuting own agenda. There is no doubts that the NDC under the late Prof Mills and now President John Dramani Mahama has chalked tremendous successes in the area of infrastructural development, and as such it would expected that the party would be retained come 2016, but experiences across the globe have shown that no political party has won a major and competitive election with a divided front. Majority of Ghanaians are not blinded to the numerous developmental projects across the country and the success story of the NDC, but that alone cannot secure victory for the ruling party. The greatest threat to the NDC�s survival in power after the 2016 elections and its growth going forward is not non-performance of the government but disunity within its rank. If the party allows apathy to creep into its rank and file, it risks handing over power to the opposition New Patriotic Party on a silver platter. This therefore, demands that the rank and file of the NDC remember former President John Agyekum Kufuor�s axiom that, it is better to be a messenger in a ruling party than a general secretary of a party in opposition, and should remains its guiding principle. If the party hierarchy allows power to slip through its fingers on the altar of disunity then members of the NDC should brace themselves up to serve uncountable years in opposition biting their nails in bewilderment. The positive outlook of Ghana�s economy by 2017, coupled with the solid foundation the NDC government has laid over the past years forecast how promising the country would be after the next presidential and primary elections. This means that there would be enough resources for the next government to develop the country that, Ghanaians would not be willing to easily do away with it even if it spends two decades in office. The only vehicle that would cruise the NDC to victory come 2016 is unity and all members of the party, particularly the newly-elected national executives must work towards assembling all aggrieved members and tapping into their rich experience The aL-hAJJ congratulates all the newly- elected executives and wish them well.