The National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana's biggest opposition political party, held its primary elections last Saturday, May 13, 2023, to choose a flag bearer and parliamentary candidates for the 2024 election. It was uncertain if the primaries would go as scheduled a few days before the scheduled date.
Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, one of the candidates for flag bearer, requested an injunction to prevent the party from moving forward with the primaries until a number of issues identified by his campaign team were addressed.
The Electoral Commission (EC) declared they would not oversee the elections until all legal objections had been settled following a meeting with the party's leadership and officials from the various campaign teams in the flagbearer contest.
The lawsuit was ultimately dropped. Additionally, Dr. Duffuor withdrew from the competition. The EC then oversaw the primaries, which were largely done successfully and without incident.
Mahama
I wondered what qualities the NDC party delegates would be looking for in a flag bearer as the primaries approached. First off, in my opinion, the main consideration for delegates as they weighed their alternatives was, "Which candidate is best positioned to lead the party to victory in the next election?" Delegates had to evaluate each candidate's political strengths and weaknesses in order to respond to this question. Delegates eventually had an option between three candidates, but former president John Mahama stood out among them all because of one very important political asset: experience.
As a former Member of Parliament, he came into the contest with both legislative and executive experience (as a president, vice president, and minister). He had therefore contributed to the nation's administration from two key institutional leadership vantage points.
He also brought to the campaign a significant political advantage in the form of his unwavering loyalty to the party, which he had upheld in both good and bad times.
As a close follower of Ghanaian politics, it was pretty impressive to see the travel expenses his campaign racked up as he made the required connections with party members by visiting all regions and seats. Clearly, his ambition to win the primary was secondary to the relationships he was developing and strengthening. More significantly, it demonstrated a commitment to the present, which was vital.
Who will the NPP choose to challenge him? That is the current question. We will be able to answer by November.
elections for the senate
In primaries, the contest for the party's flag bearer frequently takes the stage. But this year, I saw that the prominence of the parliamentary primaries had changed. Delegates must have been thinking about how to ensure a strong majority and have the proper people to achieve it, given the very evenly matched nature of the parliament and the close-to-contentious nature of trying to enact important legislation.
Some incumbents were not challenged, while others were kept in position. In the end, I'm sure the party is hoping that the successful parliamentary candidates are those who can provide it with the necessary strong majority to win.
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