Political analysts have predicted that for a very long time to come, power will alternate between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ghana’s political landscape. And, this has been the trend since the return to constitutional rule on January 7, 1993.
Having concluded their internal processes to elect their flagbearers, all is set for what appears to be a “super competence showdown” on December 7, 2024, between two finest gentlemen, the Vice President and flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (DMB) and the flagbearer of the NDC, former President John Dramani Mahama (JDM).
This, is without any ill-feelings against the other smaller parties, and it is also yet to be seen whether the Alan Cash candidacy can alter the duo political dominance in the country, at next year’s elections.
Indeed, history beckons either of the two flagbearers of the two major political parties who emerges victorious at the December 7, 2024 polls and sworn in as 9th President of Ghana on January 7, 2025.
HISTORY
For DMB, who last Saturday secured the nod from his party’s delegates to lead them in the 2024 presidential elections, it would be a historic feat to break the eight-year presidential election cycle of power alternating between the two major political parties- NPP and NDC.
It will be the first time under the fourth republic, and for that matter in the political history of Ghana, for a Vice President to immediately succeed his boss and break the “eight year cycle” and be in the driving seat to steer the economy back to path of fiscal consolidation and economic recovery.
It is recalled that the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills staged an unsuccessful bid to succeed then President Jerry John Rawlings at the December 2000 polls, making way for the election of NPP presidential candidate, John Kufuor, as the President of Ghana.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, could not realise his ambition to succeed his boss, President Kufuor, as he lost the primaries to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was also unsuccessful as the flagbearer of the NPP in “breaking the eight” at the 2008 general elections, that saw JEA Mills of the NDC become the President. So, Aliu Mahama failed in that bid just like Prof. Mills failed to succeed his boss immediately.
JDM then a vice president, was sworn into office as President in July 2012 after President Mills passed on. JDM completed the first tenure of President Mills’ tenure and went on to win the 2012 presidential elections, but lost out “breaking the eight year cycle” in the 2016 presidential elections to the incumbent, Nana Akufo-Addo.
On the part of JDM, he also set himself for a feat, unprecedented in the political history of Ghana, a democratically elected president loses power and makes a successful comeback.
The former president has hit the ground running on his “Building Ghana Tour” to reconnect to the electorate, invigorate the NDC machinery in preparation for the super competence showdown
to replicate in Ghana, the historical feat achieved by President Grover Cleveland of the US, who is the only known politician in history to have been democratically elected President, lost in subsequent election and came back to regain power.
The former US president won the American presidential election in 1885-1889, to become the 22nd president, lost the election and then returned to the White House again after winning the 1893 election to serve as the 24th president of the US.
Former president JDM is in the same shoes with Donald Trump who served as US president 2016- 2020, defeated and making a comeback in the 2024 US elections.
JDM believes that Ghana, for that matter Ghanaians deserve better, postulating that Ghana used to have good economic indicators, and as at 2016 when the NDC left power, it was GH¢ 4 to a dollar, but now it has skyrocketed to GH¢ 12 to a dollar.
To him, he has learnt useful lessons from serving in the highest office of the land previously and deserves another opportunity to serve again, and do things differently.
In the view of the NPP, they steered the economy to the path of stability as famously remarked by DMB that the govt had “arrested” the free fall of the cedi, caged it and the key handed over to the Inspector General of Police. Certainly, the “arrested free fall” had broken away from the clutches of the IGP and wreaked havoc on ordinary Ghanaians.
The ruling government says all was well with the economy, and then suddenly the COVID-19 struck and impacted negatively, resulting in global economy meltdown, and as economies are struggling to recover the Ukraine-Russia war also set in to disrupt the global grains distribution chain, resulting in global hike in basic food stuff including grains, bulk of which comes from the war zone.
Indeed, Ghana’s economy cannot be said to be in good shape and bearable for the ordinary Ghanaian. Though the citizenry are told there is a stability now manifested in a drop in inflation from all-time high of 54 per cent to 38 per cent, the ordinary Ghanaian is still facing the brunt of the economic challenges.
Indeed, prices of basic food in the inner cities are still high. The price of sizeable kenkey, a stable food for the ordinary Ghanaian, especially those in the capital city, has gone up from GH¢2 to GH¢5. One can now only get a decent kenkey and fish as meal for GH¢10, up from the days that one could buy a ball of kenkey and fish at GH¢5.
Prices of koko and kose, maasa, kulikuli (made from groundnut paste), waagashie (made from cow milk), tubani (made from beans) which are highly consumed in the inner city for their nutritional and cultural values, are no longer affordable with the Ghanaian coins.
MANIFESTOS
With the 2024 elections, the ordinary Ghanaian may no longer be interested in unrealistic promises couched in a flowering language of manifesto. But will certainly be interested in the party that will demonstrate genuine commitment to reverse the economic fortunes of the country, addressing the basic needs of the people (food, clean water, shelter), addressing the huge unemployment in the country and building the resilience of our inner cities from the adverse effects of climate change, as we have seen the spillage of the Akosombo Dam and associated floods submerge parts of the country, reducing section of the population to refugees in their own country.
That notwithstanding, the electorate must also be honest in their expectations. Governments may have good intentions to address their needs, it must also be commensurate with a positive attitudinal change towards national development, by performing our duties as citizen while we hold duty bearers accountable for their stewardship.
We are in the Decade of action 2020-2030 for the realisation of the Sustainable Developments Goals to, among other things, reduce extreme poverty so that we don’t “leave anyone behind.” Already, a section of the Ghanaian population has been left behind, and wallowing in poverty and deprivation.
BY ALHAJI SALIFU ABDUL-RAHAMAN
