Switching from primary mode to electioneering mode – managing aftermath of 2023 NPP primaries

I have great admiration and affection for Engineer Kwabena Agyepong, the former General Secretary of the NPP and a former presidential candidate, even after his removal from the party position in 2014.

Despite this setback, I still hold him in high regard and value his extensive experience and knowledge in various fields.

I have been passionate about politics since my days studying philosophy and reading books on Plato and Aristotle. I read extensively about world and American history and politics before the advent of the internet, social media, Google, and other modern technologies.

This helped me develop a fascination with the people, events, and ideas of different eras, particularly the speeches and leadership of well-known American presidents like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

From Lincoln, I learned a valuable lesson that has stayed with me. During the American Civil War, President Lincoln knew he would make mistakes, but he resolved never to compromise his integrity. He valued what he knew to be true, good, helpful, and right.

In his own words, “I desire to conduct the affairs of this administration in such a way that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me.”

I’ve always loved this quote because it shows that Lincoln was a man of unwavering values and principles that he believed were absolute and timeless. He held onto these non-negotiables and refused to compromise on them.

It’s important for every person to have principles to guide their actions, but it’s even more crucial to have eternal, truthful principles that they can live by, no matter the consequences. Lincoln chose to follow his conscience, regardless of what might happen as a result. It’s possible that he had strong beliefs to help him stay true to his principles.

Beliefs, values, and principles are what define a person, not money or wealth. Kwabena Agyepong, a politician who seeks to transform society, has always been guided by the principles of service, sacrifice, and selflessness.

He also strongly believes in the power of the collective, even when the majority may be wrong in their choices. Respect and acceptance of majority rule are fundamental to democracy, as Mr. Agyepong highlighted in his speech announcing his withdrawal from the NPP Superdelegates Primary Election on August 26, 2023.

He declared firmly: “I am an eternal democrat and I believe in majority rule. When the majority decides, the majority decides…. The party, the delegates have decided. And as someone who believes in majority rule, that’s it. You have to respect the decision of the majority.”

I have been having conversations with some of my NPP acquaintances who were not in favor of Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the eventual winner of the NPP presidential primaries. Additionally, I have been hearing from members of the Elephant Family who seemed to favor other candidates over the current Vice President of the Republic.

It seems like some people who claim to support democracy forget that democracy results in both winners and losers. It’s important for both sides to be gracious and considerate of each other’s feelings. Democracy also requires everyone to accept the decisions made through the democratic process, and to work together towards the greater good of the community and its shared goals.

From my discussions with friends and observations of people’s views on social media and traditional media, it appears that those who did not vote for the vice president are finding it hard to come to terms with their loss. They seem to be struggling to move on from their primary loss mode to pre-presidential electioneering campaign mode. They are still trying to recover from their defeat and holding onto a lost cause.

Dealing with the psychological impact of loss can be challenging. To address this, it is important for individuals to recognize and acknowledge the ultimate goals and objectives of the group, such as the NPP in this case.

This is where Mr. Agyepong’s emphasis on collective aspirations and respecting the choice of the majority comes into play. It is essential to remember that the encouragement to prioritize and protect the party’s collective interests applies to both winners and losers.

For the betterment of the group and its goals, the winning team should facilitate an easy process for the losing team by paying close attention to their concerns, reflecting on them, and engaging them actively in discussions. It is crucial to bring them to the table for deliberations, not just as participants, but as contributors with a significant role to play in shaping the future of the party.

It’s important for both supporters and non-supporters of the winning team to move forward and focus on the future rather than dwelling on the past. Abraham Lincoln’s famous maxim, “I don’t know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be,” speaks to the idea that it’s more important to focus on what’s to come rather than what has already passed.

It would be self-destructive to dwell on the scars and wounds of the primaries. Instead, the NPP should focus on what lies ahead. They must understand that their success and survival depend on their ability to work together, just as their failure and defeat will affect them all. They are like Siamese twins with a shared destiny, intertwined and inseparable.

During Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana program on November 23, 2023, Mr. Agyepong went on a similar tangent. He emphasized, “I think that we should not get into what has happened in an election [primary], the election is past and gone. We have the result, and as a political party, let’s work together to push for victory in 2024. That’s what I am for, and that’s what I’d advise all patriots of our party, and especially those who supported different candidates.”

Earlier, Mr. Agyepong had adamantly maintained the same stance, “An election is a process to select the winner, and once there’s a winner, the focus has to be on the winner…It’s never the case that we focus on number two or number three.” Mr. Agyepong urged all party members to support Vice President Dr. Bawumia, the winner.

I would like to conclude this piece with a well-known quote from Abraham Lincoln. In his speech to the Republican state convention on June 16, 1858, in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln delivered what is now referred to as the “house divided” speech. In this speech, he highlighted the grave danger posed by the issue of the slave trade, which threatened to divide the American Union. Lincoln’s words carry great significance to this day.

He said: “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.”

The governing NPP is facing a critical decision: will they unite behind their first-ever Muslim, Northerner and economist, a technocrat who can lead them to victory in 2024? Will they finally put an end to the negative labels of being anti-Northern and anti-Zongo, or will they allow sectional differences and conflicts to destroy their chances?

This is a pivotal moment for the party, and it remains to be seen if they are willing to put aside their differences and work together for a common goal.

I believe that there will never be a more perfect opportunity for the NPP than this, especially not during my lifetime. With Dr. Bawumia as their candidate, the NPP has a true economist, technocrat, and competent individual who is also likable. We have seen him grow from a novice to a world-renowned, astute politician right before our eyes.

If the NPP manages to unite behind Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, they will have a golden opportunity to repay the selflessness of Dombo. It was Dombo who allowed Kofi Abrefa Busia to assume the role of the leader of government business, paving the way for the Danquah-Dombo-Busia party to come into power for the first time and usher in Ghana’s second republican constitution in 1969.

By: Dominic Obour

An American Ghanaian in Southern California.

Email: oboursavio@gmail.com