It was perhaps the most abrasive campaign in an internal election in the history of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). We stand to be corrected.
The inflicted wounds have started healing. It is our hope though that what we are beginning to see is deep-seated and productive not a cosmetic treatment.
We think that the contenders who vied to bear the flag of the party in the next elections did well with their promises of commitment to achieve the objectives of their party.
The heat generated by the campaign leading up to last Saturdays polls was indicative of how far local politics and indeed democracy, have gone in the country.
Our ability as a people to forget the past and move forward towards a common positive goal would mark us out as a progressive grouping. A situation where bygone is not allowed to be as such is not one which can foster the kind of unity required to ensure progress and development.
We were amazed by the gesture of Adai-Nimoh yesterday in reaching out to Nana Akufo-Addo the newly elected standard bearer of the NPP and the latters show of appreciation and readiness to work with all his party members to achieve the common goal of transforming the lot of this country.
The peace in our political parties reflects the state of the nations stability and tranquility. It is for this reason that we long for decency and orderliness in these political groupings.
The peace which underlined last Saturday, NPP presidential primary is deserving of praise by all. It was not surprising that Amadu Sulley, the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), in his remarks before the declaration of the results, showered plaudits on the partys delegates for conducting an uneventful election and prayed that the good conduct is replicated in the 2016 polls.
It is a far-cry from the near physical engagement which engulfed the party earlier and sought to give it a bad name. That is now history.
We recall the scare mongers at work with their theories about how ballot boxes were going to be snatched. Thankfully, these have turned out to be hoaxes.
One of the observations in the aftermath of the polls was the high percentage of rejected ballots. Observers some of who do not even belong to any political party expressed worry that this large percentage of ballots would be rejected, more so considering that those who voted are delegates.
The need to educate voters on the proper procedures of voting cannot be overemphasized, something which in our view is a cross-party affair.
The number of rejected ballots must be reduced to the barest minimum so that every Ghanaian eligible to vote can have their voices heard through the ballot box.
Our political parties must ensure that adequate education in that direction is mounted by all the groupings.
Source: Daily Guide
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