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For the 2nd time in the history of the NPP, specially selected delegates of the party go to the polls in a special conference, for a special exercise.
Ten members of the ruling party have successfully filed to be elected as the party’s flagbearer for next year’s presidential election, and as we may all be aware, Saturday’s exercise is a simple mission of whittling down the number of contestants from 10 to 5, in accordance with NPP’s Constitution.
The Special Delegates Conference, is also a platform, through which, we will have a clear indication of who-is-who in the contest; the pretenders, the empty noise makers, the saboteurs, the realists and the man of the people!
On Saturday, 961 delegates will have the privilege to take part in the special exercise, but the specially selected delegates is a representation of key stakeholders of the party, namely constituency, regional, MPs, diaspora and national levels of the party.
WHY A LANDSLIDE VICTORY WILL REPRESENT THE WILL OF THE GRASSROOTS
Yes, 961 people will be voting in the special delegates, but the direction of their votes, is largely influenced by the grassroot. For example, all 275 Constituency Chairmen of the party will be voting, and in 137 Constituencies where the NPP has sitting MPs, the Constituency Chairmen will be voting alongside their respective MPS, as well as all regional executives.
These three categories of voters are the biggest blocs voting on Sunday, representing over 70% of the votes, and these categories; Constituency Chairmen, MPs and Regional Executives, vote to reflect the interests of their respective constituents, the grassroots.
The grassroot, made up of polling station executives and electoral area coordinators, always make their choices clear to the Chairmen and the MP, who represent them at the Special Delegates Conference. The Constituency Chairmen and the MPs conduct broad consultations among their constituents, to vote for a candidate who truly represents their choice.
In fact, throughout the campaign leading to the special delegates conference, many constituencies have been calling on their leaders to vote for Vice President Bawumia, and the leaders – Constituency Chairmen, Regional Executives and MPs, have been echoing these sentiments that they will vote massively for Dr. Bawumia.
HISTORY SHOWS OUTCOME OF SUPER DELEGATES REFLECT POPULAR CHOICE
A number of the candidates contesting have attempted to rubbish the outcome of the Super Delegates election, even before the election is held. Their argument is that the super delegate election will not reflect the will of the people in the main contest in November.
Clearly, this is a defeatist strategy by the aspirants. They face impending defeat and they are aware of the big victory awaiting Dr. Bawumia on Saturday. So to keep their relevance and fading flagbearership dream alive beyond the Super Delegates Conference, they are trying to downplay the effects of the outcome if the super delegates.
But they are wrong. There is a direct relationship between the results of the Super Delegates and what will happen in the main election in November. History clearly supports this.
In 2014 when the NPP held its first ever Super Delegates Conference, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo swept the votes in the Super Delegates Conference and he even performed much better in the main Conference.
Out of 740 people who voted, Nana Akufo-Addo got 598 votes representing 80.78%. His main contenders Alan Kyerematen got a paltry 59 votes, representing 7.98%. Addai Nimoh and Joe Gahrtey both got 22 votes each representing 2.98. Osei Ameyaw managed 16 votes, which was 2.17% to make the top 5.
Just as what is happening now, with party executives and MPs saying they will vote for Dr. Bawumia to reflect the will of the grassroots, who have asked them to vote for him, same happened in 2014 with many chairmen and MP announcing they would vote for Nana Akufo-Addo to reflect the direction of their constituents.
Again, just as we are hearing now, those who list miserably in 2014 outrightly downplayed the effects of the Special Delegates election on the main election. But they were wrong! The overwhelming victory for Nana Akufo-Addo in the Special Delegates election was emphatically endorsed by the grassroot in the main Conference throughout the regions.
Indeed two contenders who made it to the top 5; Joe Ghartey and Osei Ameyaw, who understood the dynamics and the message of the grassroots, stepped out of the main race, leaving Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen and Addai Nimoh to go for the main election.
At the end of the main election, Nana Akufo-Addo, just as he did in the Super Delegates Conference, win the main election emphatically by 94.35%, which wad even better than the 80.78% he got in the super delegates election. His closest contender Alan Kyerematen, got another paltry 4.75%, which was worse than the 7.98% he got in the Super delegates. Addai Nimoh got 0.9%.
Clearly, what happens in the Super Delegates Conference is a reflection of the call of the grassroots, and it is a clear indication of what will happen in the main election.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will win the Super Delegates emphatically, and it is an indication of his popularity, a reflection of the support he enjoys from all levels of the party, as well as the groundswell of support he enjoys from the grassroots, which will be overwhelmingly confirmed in the second phase of the election in November, to endorse Dr. Bawumia as the new NPP flagbearer.
However, as the results of the Special Delegates Conference come out with Dr. Bawumia in commanding lead, expect the lovers to increase their attempts to downplay the effects of the resounding victory for Dr. Bawumia innthe Super Delegates Conference.
It is just a face-saving tactic to keep their fading flagbearership ambition alive until the 2nd Phase of the elections in November.
By Dr. Ekow Acquah
The writer is Political Communications Consultant.
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