“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal” — Napoleon Hill.
It is exactly ten days since Madam Charlotte Osei declared the short man winner of the highly competitive 2016 presidential polls. Trust me when I say the outcome is yet to fully sink in. Yes, I was hopeful the electorate would buy the short man’s message; but not in my wildest dream did I imagine the margin would be so big. The over one million difference is as humbling to the short man as it is humiliating to the relatively tall man. It is a drubbing!
If you are wondering why my obsession with the adjective “short”, then wonder no more for I would soon explain. My obsession with the word is as a result of its usage by some sharp-teethed babies in ridiculing the physical stature of the president elect. The chorus “Nana Addo is the devil incarnate” was so loud that some of us almost believed it. But thanks to the Bearded Old Man above who chose the short man and made the so-called tall men run into rat holes.
Success, they say, has many parents. How profoundly true! Now that victory has been achieved, even those who publicly worked against Nana Addo’s candidature are savouring the glory. Suspended national executives who openly declared that not even a pesewa of theirs would support the Nana Addo campaign are now shouting their voices hoarse that they contributed to the victory. Laughable, isn’t it?
Talking about suspended executives brings to mind the name Kwabena Agyapong. Among the suspended trio, he is the only one who has shown to all and sundry that his love for the party far outweighs his parochial interest. Resisting the temptation to take the party to court and supporting the party’s campaign with GH¢ 82,000 are acts that have proven beyond doubt that his love for the party is genuine. He can savour the victory because he played a meaningful role. It is my prayer that the party extends an olive branch to him soon!
It is an open secret that the vanquished are yet to come to terms with the reality. They were so drunk with power that they did not know what hit them. The agony that comes with such a defeat is so deep that it usually takes a very long time to overcome.
Interestingly, instead of recoiling into their shells and going back to the drawing board to identify their mistakes, they are still advertising their arrogance and naughtiness. Did you see Chairman Kofi Portuphy when he addressed the ill-fated “be-armed-and-defend-yourselves” press conference? I want to believe it is a false show of bravado to delude his party folks that he and his incompetent executives are still working.
I’ve heard many Zu-za functionaries speak on their humiliating defeat, and most of them tend to believe the defeat was as a result of apathy. Yes, apathy may be a factor, but I believe the vigilance of the Osono folks did the trick. Their vigilance prevented ghosts from resurrecting to vote; so did it prevent many foreigners from coming into our country to vote. I, therefore, postulate that apathy and vigilance colluded to make sure that Zu-za experienced a very humiliating defeat.
Unlike success, which has many parents, failure is an orphan. Is it not revealing to note that the likes of Wofa Kwesi Pee have all of a sudden turned their backs on Zu-za. Wofa Kwesi who before the polls called for ambulances to be placed at vantage points because he believed Zu-za’s victory would lead to heart attack galore in the camp of the Great Elephant, now calls Zu-za a party with no identity. Listen to him, “NDC has no identity; they relied on chiefs for votes.” Hmmm!
While the victors savour the thrills of victory and the vanquished endure the agony of defeat, the country’s transition process is anything but smooth. The incoming administration is yet to receive all hand-over notes from the outgoing one. It is a very shocking revelation, considering the fact that the hand-over notes were supposed to have been given to the Administrator-General one month before the election. One thing is clear: The defeat has hit the Ogwanfunu government like a thunderbolt.
By the way, what is this talk about political harassment of opponents? The police should just do a professional job and save us the noise. If the police had had the guts to deal with those who seized the Adomi Bridge and those who burnt tender documents in 2009, the cycle wouldn’t have repeated itself. As for Wofa K’s tomfoolery, it is only a comic relief!
In the meantime, whenever I remember the vile propaganda against the person of Nana Addo and look at how high the Bearded Old Man above has exalted him, I just smile heartily and say, “The battle was indeed the Lord’s”.
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!
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