Chairman Janis Asare’s Post-Election Analysis

*REFLECTIONS by Chairman Janis Asare* :

After such an abysmal performance, the worst in the history of the party, it is only right for Patriots to share their viewpoints on what they perceive was the cause of this catastrophic loss to help form a basis of review once a formal review of the reasons for our loss is commenced by our party.

Here are some of my viewpoints on what contributed to our loss since other reasons cannot be captured here.

1. Voter Apathy

Voter apathy played a key role in this election. The voter turnout in the party strongholds shows clearly, that they had a lot of concerns with the current state of governance. Concerns stemming from neglect of the party strongholds through concerns of a one-sided family and friends government which did not show inclusiveness. The other reason for voter apathy to a lesser concern was the Alan factor. While Alan Kyeremateng performed poorly in the current elections, some of the reason for the poor voter turnout could be attributed to NPP members who would have preferred Alan just deciding not to vote in solidarity with Allan since they knew he could not win anyway and they had resolved not to vote NDC.

2. GOTV (Get Out The Vote)

GOTV was intended to be a system designed to get the populace out to vote on election day, especially our members. The election results show this approach was a monumental failure. While GOTV was okay in concept, the implementation was a disaster. In the writer’s personal opinion, the implementation of GOTV contributed to about 50% of our loss, especially in Parliament. The challenges and failures of the GOTV system will be the subject of another write-up.

3. The economy

The economic challenges prevalent at this time made it difficult for Dr. Bawumia to sell his vision. It was an easy sounding board for the opposing to bang on and had a tremendous effect on the elections. Using the VPs on words against him was an easy-hanging fruit strategy for the opposition.

4. Government appointees and members of parliament

The general perception was an air of arrogance and disdain displayed toward the populace by most government employees. Even some hardcore NPP folks had resolved not to vote just because of treatment that was meted out at the hands of some appointees. The opulence and display of wealth by some government appointees always gave an impression of corruption. Another issue was the apparent lack of effort in this class. How many CEOs were essentially on the campaign grounds to help in the elections? Despite the hefty financial war chest that was given to each MP to go into the election, only a few MPs used these funds towards the campaign. There was a widespread report of most NPP election observers lacking food and refreshments as they monitored the elections. Most MPs essentially appeared to have failed to utilize the funds meant for the election in that regard to the detriment of the party.

5. Weakened Party Structures

The appeared to be no coherent strategy by the leadership of the party on a way forward towards this election. This vacuum led to some party members plotting their own agendas even during the heat of the election to the detriment of our candidate. Some of the unpopular decisions taken by the government could have easily been challenged by the party if we had strong leadership at the helm of the party but the party structures always kotowed to the whims of the government without any push back and this gave the government a freeway to implement some unpopular decisions to the party’s detriment.

6. Failures of Nana Addo Government

The electorate also appeared to punish the party due to the failures of the current government. Nana Addo’s government did a good job in infrastructural development and social policies but the issue pertained to his style of leadership. The apparent rejection of the wish of the people when there was an overwhelming call to remove an effective finance minister, Debt exchange program, lack of reshuffle, e-levy, betting tax, family and friends oriented government, cathedral project, etc. all left a bad taste in the mouth of Ghanaians.

7. Moslem Candidate

In a majority Christian nation, it was always an uphill challenge for the VP to sell his message despite his brilliant campaign policies. Many notable clergy made it obvious that with a Christian majority, they wouldn’t elect a Muslim leader and went all out to make their voices and opinions known. With such an overwhelming majority, their influence on the election was obvious.

These factors in my opinion were the major ones that led to our defeat as a party but there’s still light at the end of the tunnel after all NDC did not appreciate their voter turnout in 2020 but our demise was more of our members not turning out to vote. That gives us a beacon of hope if we can reflect on this loss, restructure and rebrand our party to once again appeal to our supporters and ultimately Ghanaians at large.

Pertaining policies such as the delegate system used in electing our party officers need a critical review. The party has to find a way to be self-sufficient and not depend on the government for survival. This is the only way our elected leaders can speak truth to power.

I have faith in the NPP. I am sure this low point will be a springboard for new energies and ideas to emerge as we go through a self-evaluation process.

DMB did a marvelous job campaigning in all 276 constituencies day and night and articulating his vision for Ghanaians but the headwinds this time were just too strong. Congrats to DMB and our running mate. Your efforts were valiant and we appreciate the fight you put in during this election.

*Washington Metro NPP Chairman/ NAPO INSPIRES USA coordinator*