Introduction:
Political elections seek to foster and consolidate democratic governance with the noble objective of enhancing liberal values and tenets to secure human and societal well-being. With all its socio-economic struggles, political turmoil and limitations, Ghana’s experiment with democracy resulted in another partial success on 7th December 2024 with mixed lessons, which are explored subsequently in this blogpost. It is worth pointing out that the United Kingdom (UK), which colonised Ghana until 7th March 1957 also held a general election on 4th July 2024 with Sir Keir Stammer emerging as the new Prime Minister. Furthermore, the United States of America (US) from whom Ghana draws some lessons and inspiration to guide and shape its democratic system, held polls to elect the “wonderful” Former President Donald Trump (Trump) as the 47th President-elect on 5th November 2024. The re-election of Trump has shocked several pollsters and many political scientists who convinced themselves and sections of the American public that the election was tight but predicted a narrow win for Veep Kamala Harris. With personal sympathy for the Democrats and special likeness for Harris, I belonged to the group of people, hoping for her victory. However, the mysteries of politics and fallibilities of human senses were once more revealed as Trump won the context unprecedently. With that background, this blogpost now catalogues some of the mixed lessons, characterising Ghana’s 2024 election as below.
The Concession Speech by Alhaji Dr Bawumia
As a fledging democratic experiment of barely 32 years, Dr Bawumia’s speech of conceding defeat to the opposing candidate-former president John Dramani Mahama (JDM) of National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) is a useful lesson because it teaches all Ghanaian politicians- future and present- to concede defeat where the results is overwhelming and genuine as in the December 2024 election. Also, this should guide Ghanaians to learn to accept losses/defeats in political contexts to set good precedent for all Ghanaians as a strategy of promoting the country’s political system. More importantly, there is speculation that Bawumia’s early concession to defeat is good for the optics, that view cannot be discounted because in politics perception is key; however, whether the optics of conceding to such huge defeat has to secure Bawumia some political credit in future will depend on how savvy and creative he deals with the internal politics in the New Patriotic Party (NPP). By the way, the question for those praising Bawumia’s concession speech is that could Dr Bawumia afford not to concede defeat ?
The Political Maturity of the Ghanaian Population (the Youth)
One critical lesson learned about the 2024 general election is the emerging political awareness among the Ghanaian public, especially the youth. Ghanaians, especially the youth, have shown and consolidated by their active participation during this election, that power belongs to the people; and those elected to serve as president, ministers, parliamentarians and chief executive officers, are mere servants mandated to work for the good and welfare of all Ghanaians rather than seeking themselves. The demonstration of the people’s power in this election was concretised by the fact that some parliamentary candidates shared money, food, provisions and various items to secure the people’s vote; yet the people voted against them openly. This is commendable practice, and this blogpost is urging all Ghanaians- old and young- to repeat this tactic in all and every election by taking whatever monies, gifts and perks that politicians offer them but vote against them if they do not possess the right qualification, humility and sense of duty to serve the people. In this respect, I doff my heart to the people of ASSIN North – who set this honourable precedent during the 2023 by-election. Furthermore, the youth showed enthusiasm by participating actively in the electoral processes by mobilsing themselves and their friends to vote overwhelmingly against the excesses of Nana Addo and his NPP government for fatally failing to manage the affairs of Ghana. This blogpost advises the Ghanaian youth to keep watchful eyes ; and to challenge, criticise and hold the incoming JDM and his NDC government to account if they exhibit traces of corruption, arrogance, mediocrity among other political vices. For the Ghanaian politician, who is like any other politician in a developed state/country, is a servant hired/employed by the people to serve the country without being lords unto themselves. The recent example of South Korea in sacking its president buttresses the potent force of the people’s power in politics everywhere.
The South Korean Example
In 2024, the people of South Korea (Koreans) mounted pressure to force parliament to impeach their President, Yoon Suk Yeol, for declaring martial law in the country against a backdrop of declining socio-economic conditions affecting the people, especially the elderly and the youth. A similar public mobilisation and agitation were initiated by the Koreans led by the youth to oust the sitting president in 2016. Although the Ghanaian public, especially the youth, are gaining political consciousness and becoming savvy in governmental affairs, the Korean example should as serve as a benchmark to motivate Ghanaians to defy excesses of any president, ministers, parliamentarians or CEOs who fail at their jobs, by forcing them to resign or face impeachment.
Death of Ghanaians at Election 2024
The irresponsible killings of innocent Ghanaians during the 2020 has been repeated once again in 2024 with great sadness and worry. Fifteen Ghanaians, including a (14) year-old young girl in Techiman-South was cold-bloodedly, painfully and audaciously murdered; however, over the last four years and particularly, at the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) by the outgone President, Nana Addo, no message of sympathy was extended to the affected and afflicted families. This is really an abdication of responsibility and portrays the government of Nana Addo as insensitive and by stretch of legal tenets, complicit in the killings of the afore mentioned individuals. The simple reason is that those who perpetrated the killings in Techiman-South were seen in live-videos as “purported Ghanaian military men” who aimed to shoot at civilians merely witnessing ballot counting at a poll station. One would have thought that with over 30 years of democratic experiment, electoral violence would become a feature of the distant past while public institutions are staffed with competent, impartial and independent-minded individuals skilled to manage Ghana’s electoral systems to achieve results satisfactory to all contested parties and the Ghanaian people. This blogpost urges the incoming government to take responsibility to investigate those killings, sanction the culprits and compensate the affected families substantially, for every death is one too many. Furthermore, the current electoral commission, headed by Jane Mensah, including some members of the Judiciary and security personnel, have displayed open unprofessionalism tainted with biases ensconced in partisanship.
Dented Image of Institutions and People
Another critical lesson of the 2024 general election was the exposition of certain institutional and official biases flagrantly showcased in a corrupt, partisan and incompetent manner. There is an adage that no condition is permanent. This adage applies in many respects to Jane Mensah, the electoral commission boss, Chief Justice, governor of Bank of Ghana, some security bosses, including some fake pastors, who offered falsified and erroneous prophecies regarding the outcome of the elections. First, most fair-minded Ghanaians regard Jane Mensah as biased and partisan in the disjointed way she organised and managed the 2020 and 2024 elections; coupled with the brazen display of arrogance. Although the electoral commission is expected to act as an independent body, yet Jane Mensah and her colleagues did not appoint themselves and were required to serve the aspiration of Ghana’s democratic system. So why the militarisation of her residence and the electoral office with military personnel and armour vehicles? With JDM’s assumption of office on January 7th 2025, under the NDC regime, it is expected that both the electoral office and residence of Jane Mensah are de-militarised quickly. The judiciary, as one key organ of government, has shown open biases in adjudicating cases in favours of the NPP; however, the recent judgment pronounced by the Supreme Court in the NDC’s petition against the high court, led by Justice Pomaa, signifies that the Supreme Court has the capacity to be fair and impartial in its verdicts and supervisory roles, though the apex court has glossed over these noble duties over the past eight years. Hmmm Justice delayed … The combined partisanship of the EC and judiciary, which was manifested in the actions of former chief Justice Anim Yeboah, in the famous Blackstone Law dictionary, has extended into the reign of Chief Justice Getrude and some of her colleagues. With respect to the governor of the apex bank, Dr Addison, the least said about him the better. Dr Addison has tainted himself as a political stooge of President Nana Addo by labelling some disgruntled Ghanaians who questioned his performance as hooligans. Such proclamation by a governor of the mother bank mirrors reputational problem for the institution and himself. For leaders of the security forces, they have compromised themselves and lost their integrity for years to come. As regards the pastors, there is little one can say because the image and office of pastors and clergy have been bruised and battered pronouncedly during the last eights of the NPP reign. Most pastors, particularly Rev Fr Justice Joseph Agyeman, has soiled himself as a Catholic clergy and justice of the high court. One virtue that the Catholic Church and clergy have stood for down the centuries is fairness and integrity. However, contemporary, some of the clergy who exercise their expertise and office in the service of the public good are sacrificing their integrity for political expediencies. That is damaging. It is expected that the leadership of the Church must be concerned. Still on the pastors the rot is expansive, but time and space will not allow for it to be catalogued here, but postponed to another time. Suffice to say that the 2024 election has showcased many fake and bogus pastors who are polluting and diluting the scriptures, moral and authentic teaching of faith and religion. That is very, very worrying, because humanity will forever need the protection of true religious guidance to exist, but those bogus pastors are systemic dangers to good moral religion and faith.
Concluding Remarks
The lesson is that just as no situation is permanent so is political power/authority, which is rented out to political parties, politicians, and public servants to serve the welfare and good of those they represent. With all those public officials and politicians who were ensconced in power over the last four -eight years, and use their positions to kill, abuse and maltreat the Ghanaian, what now?
