Political Communications lecturer, Dr Kobby Mensah, says the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) should focus on delivering its election mandate instead of thinking about how to win the next election.
The unofficial slogan of the NPP ahead of 2024 is ‘breaking the eight’ as they set sight of being the first political party to win three consecutive elections since the inception of the fourth republic.
Speaking exclusively to JoyNews’ Benjamin Akakpo, Dr Mensah explained that the NPP winning the next election will not be about sloganeering but the party’s ability to fulfil its electoral promises and a myriad of other factors.
“My argument is if Ghanaians think this administration has really discharged all it said it would do, and comparatively with the NDC, very well, then, of course, it’s not even a rocket science for any strategist to think that handing over to Bawumia can actually win the election.”
“Sometimes, the voters want new faces. You could actually look at one of the things in the 2000 elections; we have had PNDC-NDC for so long – 19 years, the same faces on TV. Sometimes people want to see fresh faces; they want to see what other people can…fresh ideas
He also waded into calls by sections of the party for Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and Trades Minister, Alan Kyeremateng to be paired for the 2024 election.
He warned that may not be what the electorates want. He also noted that the Vice President had not delivered on the things he campaigned on before the 2016 elections.
“For me, saying that Alan-Bawumia will be pairing, I will ask you the question; is that what the voters want?’ You can use that to satisfy your party people to sort of bring unity. But the point is he [Bawumia] hasn’t delivered; we have to be straight.”
“I am number one fan of digitalisation, but it was not the concern of this country. The concern that he was brought to the ticket [based on his knowledge of] the economy, and you remember the last election when NDC selected Prof Jane, everybody said, she’s not an economist; how can she battle Bawumia? Bawumia has left the economic platform long ago; he doesn’t talk about the economy anymore,” Dr Mensah observed
Meanwhile, the Marketing lecturer outrightly rejected calls by Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs for incumbent NPP MPs to contest the party’s primaries unopposed, describing the calls as not democratic.
“That’s really surprising coming from a so-called democrat. If, for example, the President tells you that ‘I feel that I am doing very well and we’re on course for economic emancipation; as a result, I want to change the constitution for me to go for the next term’, would you be happy?”
“No one was born in Parliament. We are all outside Parliament, and there is nothing like an apprenticeship for Parliament.
“People do not have any work to go and learn the skills of Parliament other than going to Parliament. You [Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu] have been in Parliament for God knows how long; what have you done for Suame?” he quizzed.
Source:Myjoyonline