Alhaji Hudu Yahaya�s Myopic Politics Will Worry NDC If�

Conventions are unwritten rules that guides and regulate the activities of a society, an organization or a group of people. It is these conventions that create harmony and cohesion; it also engenders trust, as well as foster unity. The moment that issues of legality, are advanced to justify a certain action or decision of an individual, regardless of a convention that has become a tradition, then problems looms, the centre can no longer hold. Before I proceed any further, like I always do, issue a disclaimer at this point before I proceed any further. In the race for the Chairmanship position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I do not support any candidate, even if I do, I am not a delegate and so my support will not inure to the benefit of any aspirant. I think all the gentlemen, who have so far expressed their interest in the position, are fine gentlemen, who have the capacity to steer the party to another sweet victory in 2016. Like that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), it was easy for me to say and I did that by writing many articles to put across my reasons why I thought that anybody could be, but not Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, who have left a scar on our electoral conscience but with the NDC, it is not that easy. However, I respectfully disagree with the decision of Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, who have not only expressed his intent, but has his posters scattered across the capital city. He is also vying for the position of the Chairman. So far, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, who is the incumbent has launched his campaign to retain the position, his closest rival as far as the political pundits think, is Kofi Portuphy, who is the National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), have also launched his campaign, the first to launch his campaign is the former Ambassador to Malaysia, Dan Abodakpi. In all officially, three people have gone beyond the rhetoric and made their intentions known by launching their bid. The last entrant is Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, whose posters are pasted in town, but is yet to officially launch his campaign as the others have done. The convention in the NDC since 1992 has been that the Chairman should not come from the same region as the President or the Presidential candidate, that has been the practice and it looks like other political parties are taken a cue from this. For some time now the Chairman, has always come from a particular region, not that the position is their preserve, but it helps to achieve a certain balance, needed for the smooth running of the party. The President John Dramani Mahama, hails from the Northern Region, so is Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, sometimes, a lot of Ghanaians mistake the region to be just one region, when in fact the north is made up of the Northern Region, the Upper and West regions, but in this instance the two gentlemen come from the Northern Region. Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, without a doubt is a perfect candidate for that position, the problem is where he hails from. He has served the party since its formation in so many capacities, including being the General Secretary. Alhaji Hudu Yahaya is currently the Vice-Chairman of the NDC, a position he has held and discharged very well. Many people, who have visited the party headquarters, will tell you that often when you go there, the only person out of the numerous executives, you are likely to meet is Alhaji Hudu Yahaya. It goes without saying that, therefore, that nobody is fit for the position of the Chairman other than him, but unfortunately he is guilty by where he hails from. Timing is very important in whatever decision we make; it is one thing that sets men apart, it defines us and determines for us what is acceptable and appropriate at every given time. Already, all the names in the race have all exhibited enough capabilities and the good Dr. Kwabena Adjei, who has led the party to win two successive elections, has demonstrated that he could do it again. The other two have all in their own right shown that they can succeed Dr. kwabena Adjei, so why should Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, also having known the cherished tradition and convention of the party, also decide that of all the positions in the party, that is where he best fit. Alhaji Hudu Yahaya�s candidature is creating room for so many speculations, as to who is behind him. It is very easy for people to start connecting the dots and it will lead to the doorstep of the President, John Dramani Mahama. This is an astute politician, who has been in politics long before the President entered Parliament, but the mistrust in our body politics is too much, we always read meanings into people�s decisions, that is why Alhaji should have weighed all these options. All the T�s should have been crossed and the I�s dotted before jumping into the race. Two Northerners running the party is an unholy alliance that will get others from other regions asking questions and drawing conclusions that could go a long way to affect the fortunes of the party in 2016. The party has come this far because of it national character, unlike the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), that is still struggling the shirk the notion that it is an Akan party. When Jerry John Rawlings was the President, because he hailed from the Volta Region, the Chairman was Alhaji Issifu Ali, who hailed from the Northern region. The late president, John Evans Atta Mills, when he became the flagbearer and leader of the party, Dr. Obed Asamoah, became the Chairman from 2001 to 2005, he was succeeded by Dr. kwabena Adjei, both men hail from the Volta Region, by this convention, anytime the leader comes from a particular region, the Chairman must of necessity come from another region. Even the 1992 Constitution, recognizes the need for regional balance that was why the framers included as one of the very important Clauses in the appointments of Ministers. The need for the NDC to ensure this balance was borne out of the Constitution. This is not the time to throw that Convention away. Someone should please advice Alhaji Hudu Yahaya to shield his ambition for the greater good. If he cares to know, the word out there is that the government is full of northerners and some even argue that is the reason why President Mahama is failing.