The 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana scheduled on the December 7th this year is gathering momentum and from my opinion is likely going to give birth to a lot of surprises, which has already taken of since Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia was elected to lead the New Patriotic Party.
The internal struggle begins with the anger coming from Mr. Kyerematen who was a Minister of Trade and Industry, and resigned from the party to contest as an independent candidate, with the brand logo “Monarch Butterfly” breaking away which leads to formation of a movement “the butterfly”
Going forward be reminded that voters in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary election also will judge presidential candidates by their personal characteristics. This include among the relevant characteristics are such things as the experience, honesty, morality, compassion, competence, and leadership ability of the candidates.
Apart from how they see the candidates on the issues, voters form images of the personal qualities and abilities of the candidates, and these perceptions are important influences on the vote.
One important aspect of personal character is the perceived honesty and trustworthiness of the candidates–what might be termed an integrity dimension.
In another development another important dimension, which might be termed competence, involves the experience and knowledge of the candidates; in particular, voters are hardly likely to vote for someone whom they feel lacks the experience and ability to handle the job of president.
However, a third important dimension involves the leadership ability of the candidates. Those who are perceived as strong and inspiring leaders are much more likely to be preferred by the voters.
Let’s be reminded that, there is a compassion dimension; voters favor candidates whom they see as concerned and caring. These four dimensions of personal traits may vary in their importance; perhaps one or more of the dimensions will have little effect in any given election (Miller and Shanks 1996, 425-427).
The road to the Flag staff house is long, expensive, and exhausting. Becoming a candidate is only the beginning of the election process. Successful candidates must both persuade voters that they deserve their individual votes and garner the critical votes of electors throughout the all constituency in Ghana.
Inadvertently, voters are the essence of a political campaign; though advertising, theme songs, stump speeches, and even negative campaigning have been around since our country began, and each advance in technology since then has offered new opportunities for candidates to persuade voters. Let me asked this rhetorical question is Dr. Digital going to employ all the technology in the national presidential campaign?
We certainly see that imagery in advertisements for candidates running in current presidential elections as all the presidential candidates are watching closely, when to flood the cities of Ghana with billboards and major advertorials in all the media platforms.
Over time the media has changed, and today’s campaign strategies reflect the use of statistical analysis and the science of influence and affect. Today, a candidate’s every word, every action, and even their perceived thoughts are paraded before the public. However, many of the methods for persuading voters remain essentially the same.
Beyond this cathedral of lies, his apparent silence to some happenings in the country must be great concern not only to his party members but to Ghanaians.
The lies that continue to dog Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia are not new and so I am not about to bore readers by listing them. The lies have been part of his political diary since he became the running mate to then candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is so desperate to become the president of this country that he has lost his humanity.
This ambition, which is not bad, is written all over him, including his actions that, this country called Ghana, no longer has a Vice-President.
The vice-president, eats, sleeps and breathe this ambition that he is blind to the wrong things happening in this country.
As the Chairman of Police Service Council, when innocent Ghanaians, who were on a peaceful match, dubbed; Occupy Julorbi, were manhandled by the police, a statement condemning the act was expected from Dr. Bawumia, but no, he was busy campaigning to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its presidential candidate, a contest even a political neophyte knows is a foregone conclusion for him.
Those young men and women, who were arrested and bundled into vehicles and sent to the central police station, are not only Ghanaians, but voters, whose votes could make a difference in any election.
President Akufo-Addo, when he cast his vote in the Super Delegates’ Congress of the NPP, made all Ghanaians aware that, he has checked out. His interaction with the media, when he indicated that, the next leader, will come and solve our problems, shows a man, who has come to his wits end.
He has nothing new to offer and is only counting his days, until January 2025, when he hands over to the next leader.
Dr. Bawumia, who sees every opening as viable to realize his dream of, first leading the NPP and then Ghana, should be the last person to be silent when innocent Ghanaians, were harassed and handled like common criminals.
Akufo-Addo, is only counting his days, he is tired and has messed up the country, he wants to pack and go home. The future of the party is Dr Bawumia, he is leading the party into the 2024 election and so any action taking by any member of the party from now going forward is to the benefit of the Vice-president and presumptive candidate of the NPP.
The beauty of democracy is that we are allowed to agree to disagree; we can have divergent opinions and still live peacefully together.
The NPP has degenerated into a party of hooligans, the leaders behave like the proverbial monkey, which sees no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, is out of the country, he won’t be bothered if he was around, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt this time.
By the provisions of the 1992 Constitution, the Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is the acting president of Ghana.
I am still at a loss why the Vice-President is yet to comment on the traumatic and horrific experience our brothers and sisters are going through in the Volta region and some part of eastern region, as a result of the spillage.
These are obvious instances where leadership was required of the Vice-President, but he failed to show up. Come to think of it, allowing others to tooth your horn comes with certain level of dignity and statesmanship
From all indices, it seems Dr. Bawumia, despite his desperation, has missed his best chance to become Ghana’s president.
AYM Kukah:E:mail:kukahalexander7@gmail.com
