Why We Lost the 2008 Elections (Draft)

Maybe it is too late to point fingers, pin blames or even say 'I told you so'. So do we leave it as it is? I think not. People need to realise that for the party to move forward as we said in our campaign, a number of issues need to be addressed. This short article is meant to highlight the reasons why the NPP lost the 2008 election. It is worth noting that the reasons are not limited to the ones mentioned. Thus, I welcome any other reasons. The supporters in Kumasi have made it clear that Nana Addo should be the presidential candidate representing the NPP in the 2012 election. I agree with them and I am sure supporters around the country feel the same about Nana Addo. The supporters in Kumasi say that because presidential candidates are known to run twice. And presidents tend to enjoy two terms. So will Atta Mills and the NDC remain in power till 2016? Possibly. Hence we need to address the issues underlying our defeat in the 2008 election. So then was the loss an internal loss or an external loss? I think it was a mixture of both; with the internal factor dominating. There are different ways of telling the story but I think a chronological outline will be the best. So enjoy and remember to drop your two cents.

1. The running mate/vice president selection
   

Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia? Who is he? I am sure many people can read out his curriculum vitae and tell me who he is at the moment. I challenge those who can that as at August 2008 they had no idea who Bawumia was. This is when I can confidently say I told you so. If anyone remembers my facebook status after Bawumia was picked then you would know what I am talking about. Nana Addo received many recommendations for vice president. Some party leaders think his selection of Bawumia demonstrated his lack of leadership skills. Others like Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey defended Nana Addo's pick. Other members of the party who supported Nana Addo's pick argued that it was a good pick because Bawumia was not your ordinary politician. In fact he was not a politician at all. Does any remember when he was introduced at the Takoradi rally? All I said was a lot of work needs to be done. Look at Mills' pick for running mate; John Mahama. He was actually picked before Bawumia was picked. The point I am making here is that technocrats like Bawumia are not used to win an election. Bawumia's pick was an entirely wrong decision in my opinion. Now it has cost him his job as deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana.

Now let us take a look at the recommendations Nana Addo had for running mate. As early as April, chiefs in the central region and other prominent members of society advised Nana Addo to pick a running mate from the central region. Many people argued that chiefs should not involve themselves in politics. Why not? Are they not citizens of the country? In any event, the chiefs or togbui as they are referred to in the Volta Region contributed to the success of the NDC in that region. Besides, the chiefs in the central region were politically right for making such suggestions. Nana Addo was in a presidential election contest with his two main opponents being citizens of the central region. For those who advocate that tribalism has no room in politics. I beg you to wake up and smell reality. The 2008 presidential election has confirmed the already existing principle that tribalism is essential in Ghanaian politics. The fantes have been left out of Ghanaian politics. They have been taken for granted by politicians who have forgotten that the fight for Ghana's independence and politics started with the Fante Confederation in 1868.

The NDC were wise and played on this. Mills a citizen of the central region from Komenda was their presidential candidate. To be fair, his hopes for presidency commenced in 2000 where he lost to Kufuor. Yet, he never changed his slogan: 'adze wo fie a oye' (it's good to have something at home). He capitalized on this phrase and of course he received support from his people who without a doubt agreed with him. Nana Addo may have his reasons for not selecting a running mate from the central region or even the western region. The fantes may have voted massively for the NPP even though they would be second in command. At least they would appreciate the fact that the NPP considered the fantes in their administration. So politically, Nana Addo's pick for running mate was wrong.

Some party members argue that Nana Addo had to pick a Muslim from the North because he, Nana Addo, was a Christian from the south. Besides, it was the party's tradition that the running mate be from the Northern part of the country. When did party traditions and customs dominate the essence of winning an election? Anyway, there were other Muslims from the North who were capable of being Nana Addo's running mate. There were three people who had been tipped to be potential running mates of Nana Addo. They were Hajia Alima Mahama, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface and Lepowura Alhaji Mohammed Nuru Deen Jawula. These were people who were well known on the political scene in Ghana. Alima was actually tipped to be selected as running mate. It would have been a historical appointment as it would have been the first time a woman was on a presidential ticket in Ghanaian politics. Nana Addo actually said he didn't mind having Alima. So why didn't he pick her? Maybe he made the right decision because both Boniface and Alima lost their seats in parliament. With all the support from Tescon, Boniface still lost his seat; one of the casualties in the 2008 elections.

Remember the Alan Cash camp? Well, they believed that Nana Addo will return the honourable act by Alan Cash and select Alan Cash as his running mate. Was this wishful thinking; maybe. But they had a right to think along those lines. The party was split in two camps. What better way to unite the party than to reach out to the leader of the other camp? Maybe Nana Addo had justifications for not selecting Alan Cash. They could include Alan Cash's political views or many other personal reasons. Nana Addo took a page out of Obama's book and decided not to select Alan Cash as his running mate just as Obama refused to select Hillary as his running mate. But then Obama ended up selecting an eminent politician as a running mate and not an unknown technocrat. Bottom line, Nana Addo's failure to select Alan Cash as his running mate ticked off some loyal supporters of the party who had second thoughts regarding his leadership abilities.