NPP Campaign 2016: Are appointed officials performing their functions (2)?

I have had an opportunity to ask few objective individuals in my circle of friends with diverse political orientations and experience, about the running of the NPP`s campaign, and their answers show that the party is doing well. The party is definitely doing well, especially with its ability to resolve the internal conflicts which afflicted party over a long period and financial conundrums which always rear its ugly head to the chagrin of opposition party in our parts of the world.

Moreover, the presidential candidate, Nana Addo and his running mate, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia have all invested the last atom of their breath into the campaign by travelling to solicit for funds, meeting important interests and professional groups home and abroad to sell the party`s ideas, engaged in public lectures and media soirees and traveling to the countryside to market themselves to the grassroots voters. Other members of the campaign team have also been engaged in many important party obligations across the length and breadth of the country to ensure victory in this year`s elections.

In the view of this, the sanguine optimists of the party would aver that the party`s Campaign Team has so far performed creditably well, in the midst of snags which the party had to grapple with in the past and now. Some problems still persist with regard to how to get every member on board to campaign, but there is still room for improvement. Thus the genuine desire to obtain strong and functional campaign running on the grounds means the party has an obligation to assess, monitor and evaluate the performances of all the individuals appointed by the flagbearer, and are paid with hard earned cash of the party. The intention must be geared towards relieving off the appointments of the lazy and non-performing individuals from the Campaign Team, whilst appointing fresh, talented and hardworking people with ultimate vision of seeing the NPP emerged as the winner in 2016 election.

Campaign Team running is a serious business for serious minds and talents. The prerequisite for working in the campaign team is beyond sentimental and petty feelings of an appointee’s loyalty to a presidential candidate, the running mate or powerful party leaders. It is war out there. Experience, knowledge, sophistication, hard work, dexterity and fortitude are needed to defend and project the supreme interest of the party, the presidential candidate, as well as the policies and programmes of the party.

Who and who makes the Campaign Team?

In December 20th last year, Nana Addo, per the power reposed in him by the NPP national constitution took a giant step and officially unveiled the party`s Campaign Team at the 15th Extraordinary Annual Delegates' Conference of the party, under the theme  ‘Arise for Change 2016’, which took place at the Coronation Park, Sunyani, in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The names of the Campaign Team members, which currently graces the NPP`s official online portal, have the following people and their roles: Peter Mac Manu, National Campaign Manager, Hon. Daniel Kwaku Botwe, Campaign Strategist, Boakye Agyarko, Policy Adviser. Per the NPP`s campaign structure, these three and other members of the campaign team are to work harmoniously with the National Chairman (acting) of the party, and the 10 regional chairmen.

The rest of the Campaign team members include: John Boadu, the party`s National Organizer as the Head of Operations Directorate and he is assisted by Otiko Afisa Djaba (National Women’s Organizer); Sammy Awuku (National Youth Organizer); and Kamal-DeenAbdulai (National Nasara Co-ordinator).

Ken Ofori-Atta of  Databank is the Director of  Fundraising Committee, assisted, unfortunately, by the controversial Kwabena  Abankwa Yeboah, National Treasurer, Victor Newman, the ace and hardworking long-time Nana Addo loyalist, is the Director of Research, Edward Boateng, experienced media and advertising guru, is the Director of Campaign Administration and Logistics; as usual Martin Adjei Mensah-Korsah maintains his position as the Director of Elections, Joe Anokye is the Technology Director and Nana Akomea continues to serve as the Director of Communications Team.

A Taskforce for Special Operations is under the able chairmanship of the millionaire party man, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, and he is assisted by Dr. Gyiele Nurah and Stephen Yakubu.

The presidential Candidate also has Mustapha Hamid, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, and Olivia Quartey as his personnel spokespersons, whilst Musah Iddrisu Superior, Pius Hadzide, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, Justice Newton Offei, Fatimatu Abubakar, and Na Paga Tia Sulemana work as Campaign Aides to the Presidential Candidate.

The most significant appointment is the role given to the former President, John Agyekum Kufuor to head the National Campaign Advisory Council. This particular appointment is strategic, as it portrays and convinces Ghanaian voters that the ex-president has not only given his tacit support to Nana Addo, but he is also personally involved and actively participating in the campaign effort to get Nana Addo elected in 2016.

The Kufuor`s involvement and Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten`s active participation; gallivanting the hook and crannies of the country to canvass support for the presidential candidate, has also diffused both NPP internal party and external opposition propagandists arguments that NPP is a divided party.

Candidly speaking, even some pro-Nana Addo loyalist would have wished that the duo, Kufuor and Kyeremanten, whom they have branded as the pariah in the party should not have been involved in the campaign at all, so that in the any unlikely event of  NPP`s inability to win the 2016 elections, Kufuor and Kyeremanten could be blamed once again. This would have served as potent propaganda package that could be utilized within the future NPP internal party presidential and parliamentary primaries to get their favoured candidates elected. The propaganda mischief of citing the duo and their loyalists as consistently working against the presidential ambitions of current flagbearer was used in the 2008, 2010 and 2014 Congresses (presidential primaries) of the party.

How has the Campaign Team members performed?

The main aspect of the National Campaign team involves professional management of people with effective strategy to achieve electoral victory.  The ideal National Campaign Team has positions such as the National Campaign Manager, the Campaign Chairman, the Chief Strategist, Deputy Campaign Manager, the Senior Policy Advisor for recruitment and selection of party workers/volunteers, Policy Director, the Senior Advisor /Strategist (pollster) and his deputy. There is also a Director of Research, General Counsel to the Campaign, and the Administrative Officer. The NPP seems to have positions of similar nature.

The national Campaign team chairman, Mac Manu is an astute businessman and the former national party chairman cum regional chairman. His success in winning elections as Western regional chairman was not replicated as the national chairman. Indeed, His tenureship (2006-2010) as the NPP chairman saw the fortunes of the party taking downward trajectory, and subsequently, a catalytic move of the NPP government from power to opposition. Interestingly, Nana Addo was the presidential candidate of the NPP whom Mac Manu`s executive failed to get him elected.

Thus, Mac Manu`s appointment for the position aroused dire criticism and apprehension from various quarters within and outside the party. The question that was on the lips of his critics was, “how can the man who took the NPP from government to opposition help to get Nana Addo elected? Or is he being offered the job because he is Nana Addo loyalist?” Whatever experience and magic wand he has in his amour to win elections this time around, only the future can predict.

However, I am very optimistic that he has a reason to work hard and succeed this time to prove his critics within and outside NPP circles wrong. Mac Manu`s representation of the party at the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), swift meetings with various party chairmen to work out strategies, and his ability to stay above factionalism within the party by remaining neutral in his utterances has shown that he really mean business. In the time that most party folks have taken pettiness and propagandist path to always sing a song in praise of particular leader, Mac Manu`s maturity in staying the course of his campaign work without deviating into hero-worshiping is quite impressive.

The choice of Dan Botwe and Boakye Agyarko as campaign strategist and policy advisors respectively, is also one of the smartest moves ever. Already, NPP campaign has witnessed massive strategic move in the manner its campaign is being run. The regional campaign teams are engaged in massive campaign within their jurisdictions without too much reliance on the national campaign team to come down with cash to propel it. Catchy and timely campaign messages are strategically released at appropriate times to achieve their desired impact.

There is more grassroots involvement now than in 2012. What is just missing is the inability of the party to integrate the peeved party factions into the campaign teams. This is where Dan Botwe as a strategist must find serious solutions to convince his employer (the flagbearer) and his die-hard loyalists to allow some elements who opposed him at the NPP primaries and the short-lived imbroglio with Afoko, Agyapong and Crabbe, but have certain organizational skills, talents and competence in assisting the party to win more votes to come on board.

Boakye Agyarko is no doubt an experienced banker, but he is yet to taste political glory. His former role as NPP`s national campaign manager was a fiasco. He did little to bring dynamism into the campaign, though huge sums of money were spent in 2012 elections. Agyarko has no excuse but to shine in his currently role, because that is his terrain. The NPP has not rolled out its entire campaign manifesto and policies out. According to the party, this is to avert situations where the NDC plagiarizes NPP`s policies into their party manifesto.

But, it would be quite right, if Boakye Agyarko can develop mini policy booklets for the trusted NPP communicators to be used in their media programmes and door-to-door outreach programmes at the grassroots level.

For the party executives roped into the campaign team such as Boadu, Awuku, Otiko, and Kamal-Deen, their personal competence and hard work is without doubt. Though, allegations of financial impropriety and chameleon tactics has been leveled against John Boadu, but he is a hard-worker; all he need to prove to all and sundry is that his interest and focus for his multi-faceted roles in the NPP is not mainly to amass wealth off the party.  In the case of Ken Ofori-Atta, even his greatest enemy would admit that the investment banker is the best man for his job, but the greatest threat to his work is Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah, the man who was alleged to have single-handedly opened new bank accounts in the name of the party to enjoy the fruits thereof. There are two conflicting reports of his financial impropriety in the management of the party funds.

This kind of man deserves no seat near the party campaign finances, and let alone renowned banker like Ken Ofori-Atta.

Victor Newman has had a long stint as an NPP Director of Research. An unrepentant Nana Addo loyalist, he has been engaged in research for the NPP since the party came into existence in 1992. His vast wealth of experience and mental fortitude is impressive. He is one single individual who will go into the hades to find victory for Nana Addo if necessary.

However, the recent litanies of propaganda and gaffes which has exposed the party into public ridicule gives a whiff of proof that old Victor is losing his research touch, or someone else is controlling the department. “Seibitically” speaking (apologies to Nana AwereDamoah), the party`s communicators both on the media and the social networks now trade in common lies, pedestrian debates, wanton play into the gallery and outright spewing of trash with no shame at all. Communicators raise arguments and defend issues with no recourse to any researched data to back their claims. That is clear case of research handicap, and the blame falls directly on the doorsteps of the old Victor.

If he really thinks that by making the NPP communicators behave like the NDC media goons, the NPP can counteract the NDC propaganda boot for boot, then he has lost the cardinal understanding of the role research information play in the act of political persuasion. The NPP can always engage in propaganda just like the NDC, but must at the same give the partycommunicators researched and data-backed information as a killer-punch to deal with their opponents.

 The fix

One of the major problems associated with recruitment and appointments of individuals for the national campaign team of a political party is the issue of loyalty. Presidential Candidates and their close loyalists who have worked hard for presidential primaries are always apprehensive and suspicious of recruiting and appointing people outside of their inner circles.

The situation makes it quite difficult to recruit the best skilled, talented and hardworking opponents of the losing candidates in their intra-party presidential primaries into their fold after successfully clinching a victory for their candidate. The conundrum amplifies when money starts to flow into the campaign team, and the individuals whose effort are best utilized in the intra-party presidential primaries also expressed their interest in getting some appointments in the national campaign teams to get their beaks whet. Godfathers in the party, big-wigs and loyalists angle like vultures to take slice of positions for their “boys-boys and girls-girls” who have done the donkey-jobs for them, and the presidential candidate.

These powerful interest groups around the presidential candidates do not care if these “boys-boys and girls-girls” as well as other loyal people they bring on board to be appointed actually possesses the requisite skills, talent or hardworking traits or not.

What the powerful political interest groups in the party also fears most is the appointment of people outside their party, especially the professionals from the private sector. Thus in our contemporary Ghanaian politics, political parties have resorted to recruiting Western election experts, advisors and pollsters.

Sasha Issenberg, the author of “The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns,” argues that campaigns grow quickly when the need arises or when the money comes in. It’s also hard to convince good people to leave stable, well-paying jobs for a gig with an expiration date.”  For this reason, he says, "Campaigns have never done a consistently good job at hiring people from outside the world of politics."
What the political campaigns typically do is that the Department heads individually bring people on as needed, and usually those people come from their inner circles.

"The thing about politics is that it is really a word-of-mouth game," says James Hohmann, national political correspondent for the Washington Post, who has rubbed shoulders with countless staffers in the three presidential elections he's covered. "A lot of times people get put in important positions because they happened to show up or they know a friend . . . there is a really ad hoc nature to how it works."

The problem with inner circles, of course, is that they tend to look like the (bourgeoisie class, and their friends or particular ethnic) people at their centers, potentially perpetuating the lack of diversity—an acknowledged problem in the NPP today.

NPP Campaign 2016: Are appointed officials performing their functions (1)?

When Dan Kweku Botwe, was the NPP General Secretary he was less involved in radio talk show, but ever-present to speak to the media on what his party was doing to win elections. One of his common phrases was, “for the NPP every day is an election day for us. Our campaign starts immediately after elections are declared.” 

In the affairs of NPP today, one finds it hard to believe if what Dan Botwe used to communicate to the party is still the case. All evidence shows that NPP is not the same party again, and Dan Botwe himself has also undergone complete metamorphosis after his role as the chief party scribe, Minister of state and a Member of Parliament. Thus, Dan in a recent parliamentary election held at Tema West Constituency, usurped and flouted party convention to be part of NPP parliamentarians who went to the Constituency to canvass support from the delegates for his fellow and unpopular MP, Irene Naa Torshie Addo. She lost miserably, anyway!

Appointees

Despite the changing faces of NPP after its recent internecine internal rift that characterized Paul Afoko, the former party Chairman, Sammy Crabbe second vice chairman and Kwabena Agyei Agyapong`s and successful resolution of the conflict via an unprecedented dismissals of the trio, the party, at least, has shown that they really mean business and intend to capture power from the corrupt John Mahama-led NDC administration. 

 

Strategically, the presidential candidate made very important appointments for the party. A communications Team of the party was rolled out in November 2014 with Nana Akomea, former GTV Talking Point host, MP for Okaikoi South and one-time Minister of Information retaining his position as the head of the Communications team, and assisted by Perry Okudzeto (who used to hold the same position until Afoko`s team threw him out in a cold shower), Anthony Karbo (former Youth Organizer), Yaw Adomako Baafi, Mike Ocquaye Jnr, and Maame Afua Akoto.   

In tandem with NPP constitution which also gives overwhelming powers to the flagbearer, just like our national constitution also obnoxiously gives power to the president to appoint all manner of persons into state offices, the presidential candidate also appointed one-time letters to the editor specialist and the fire-eating Sunyani-based private legal practitioner, as the Deputy General Secretary with both Daniel Denteh and Nuhu Mahama clinging the roles of deputy National Organizers, Salam Mustapha and Dominic Adiyah were drafted as Deputy National Youth Organizers. Diana Karikari and Hajia S. Saeed also earned their pay-dayas the deputies to the National Women’s Organizer, Otiko Afisa Djaba.

Structures of the Communications Team and roles of appointees

For anybody who is political astute, the general notion is that the role of the communications team in political campaign is the most crucial, hottest and the nerve centre that all the major political activities revolved around. Without a communications team, a party is useless. In the same vein, without talented, hardworking, intelligent and qualified or skilled personnel occupying important roles in the communications team, the party machinery is also useless.  A good and well-organized political party`s Communications team structure with the matrix of overall party`s Campaign Team has roles for the party executives (The Chairmen, General Secretary, National Organizer, National Women`s Organizer, Youth Organizer, National Treasure and other important members of the party). In United States, for instance, a Communications team of a party has role for the Communications Director, Directors and advisors for digitals, social media and the new media. There is a special role of a spokesperson for the National Campaign Team, a chief technology officer and Director of grassroots engagement. 

The Communications Director work is the most important; and he does not often leave his office to court publicity attention nor talk to the media “by-heart”. The focus of this office is to administrate over all the communication issues of the campaign, liaising with team members to work with other regional, constituency and ward campaign team members across the country. Thus, the Director of Communications team often issues press releases, and strategic communicators are allowed to speak to issues that affect the party to enable the Director to operate effectively. The use of strategic communicators to speak on the party issues brings diversity, novelty and formidability into the information given to the public. This is why the choice of other Communications Team members is very important and should never ever be based on sentimental reasons of the individuals loyalty and friendship (of whatsoever kind) to the presidential candidate or his close family members. So instead of Communications director wasting his precious party-paying time hopping from one radio to the other like a serial social commentator, they devote their time to work underground to couch effective communications strategies to give well-researched and packaged offensive messages that obliterate their opponents into smithereens, and also defensive messages that quell the most obnoxious negative attacks against their party and the presidential candidate. That is what a Communications director is paid to do, nothing more, nothing less. 

The National Campaign Spokesperson must also be the most intelligent and experienced professional political communicator. Smart and talented new Turks in the party with or without political experience can also be recruited for the role. He must be effective speaker who can think under pressure and conjure shocking and intelligent response at all time, when the media calls on him or during interviews. The role Campaign Team spokesperson play must not be mixed with that of the hosts of presidential candidate`s spokespersons who often highjack the roles of the Campaign team spokesperson. Clear lines of engagements, as to “who say what” and “for who” must be rolled out to avoid internal rivalries and duplication of roles. 

The Director of Digitals deals with basically all information pertaining to digital productions such as TV, Radio, video, mobile phone, electronic signboard, cartoon image generation and other digital outlet messages. The Director of Social Media organizes and always work with the research team to ensure constant flow of valuable information in favor of his party and damning against his opponents’ to social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Wassapp and others. The technology officer ensures which appropriate technology can be used to couch messages and how it can be delivered on a technological platform. Another important member is the Director of Grassroots Engagement. This dude actually brings the real information from the original and the majority voters who decides who should be the president of the country. The role can be given to the deputies of the party positions, especially deputy youth organizers. This role also requires certain attributes as a result of the individuals that the director of grassroots engagement has to interact with. This means the choice for this position must be someone who is easy-going, patient, good listener, respectful and sensitive to people(s) feelings, non-pompous/arrogant and or not prone to desire to always show his affection for material things (coat-coat bourgeoisie).

Performances of NPP Communications Team appointees

When one apply these principles of good and effective roles for the appointees for Communications Team of a Political party and its Campaign Team, one would realize the NPP`s Communications outfit does not only lack requisite personnel to do the right things, but there is also lack of appropriate roles for positions such as the Director for Grassroots Engagement, and other media. Let’s take, Nana Akomea, for example, he has been hardworking and effective communicator for NPP, but the man overstretches himself to a boring point. He speaks when supposed to shut up and allow strategically recruited, talented and professional communicators in his party to respond appropriately. No man has the world knowledge in their cranium alone. When one try to speak to issues that are not in his domain he tends to betray his shallowness of the subject matter, and this can make one look ridiculous to the public or reduce the confidence the public have in the person. Nana Akomea, has been making this mistake since 2012, and he has not learnt his lessons at all. 

He go to most radio programmes and clash with irrelevant NDC “little minds” or “babies with sharp teeth who make fun of him or pick irrelevant verbal fights with him on air. That is not what Communications Director of a party or campaign team is paid to do! Nana Akomea must solve NPP`s communications problems and find strategy to release right people to fight NPP`s cause. He alone cannot take the party into ransom in his overt desire to prove that he is better communicator than others in NPP. That may not be his reason, but, I am sorry that is the perception he has left out there in the public domain. I wonder if the party has undertaken any audience research to ascertain the effectiveness of their communicators and party officials, and how the public (voters) perceives them.

Anthony Abayifa Karbo`s inclusion in the Communications Team with Maame Afua Akoto, as deputy communications directors was the most appalling, shameful and not-well thought-out. For Karbo, he is an intelligent and politically skillful person, no doubt about that. But the gentleman failed monumentally as the National Youth Organizer of the NPP. His administration saw the greatest ineptitude and dormancy of the NPP youth wing. He was always traveling outside the country to attend meetings than engaging in local and grassroots politics. His ineffectiveness made him became jolly unpopular amongst the NPP youths. He refused to seek reelections as youth organizer because of his abysmal performance. Thus paving window of opportunity for Sammy Awuku`s popularity to soar and the rise to fame by claiming the position of the National Youth Organizer. 

Karbo`s position as the NPP parliamentary candidate in the Lawra Constituency should have also informed whoever advised the presidential candidate to appoint him to stop. How is he going to combine both roles, and emerge as either victorious as MP elect of Lawra, or a successful deputy communications director of the NPP? Is he the only intelligent NPP and outspoken NPP youth from the North or minority ethnic group, if the mischief behind his appointment was to procure ethnic diversity? It is not yet too late, Karbo can be relieved off his post to enable him put all his adequate attention to secure Lawra for the NPP. 

It`s been so long since we last had it under Karbo`s own father in the 1950s-70s. 

For Maame Afua Akoto, when one hears that a whole mighty NPP has given such role to her, in the sea of abundant and highly intelligent, well-qualified NPP women, it feels like you must either cry or feel pity for our dear. Haba! Since when did NPP become so low? Were we looking for seaside and market price haggling shouting bout contestant or intelligent ideas to be used strategically to achieve electoral victory? What is her track record and what is she bringing on board? So far she is the same old girl with serious friendship ties (of various nature, I am not saying “Khaki no bi leather o!”) with the party big-shots, but has no intellectual gravitas, professional skills and ideas. Her capability as communicator saw her losing miserably to Brian Acheampong at Kwahu Mpreaso. 

As for talk, everybody can talk, in fact, fools are notorious talkers, but not everybody is a communicator. We communicate to persuade, change attitudes and decisions and reinforce existing ones. That is what Maame Afua Akoto cannot do, because she lacks the requisite skills in that department. Some people who can talk like her kind have their effective usages in our politics as agent provocateurs or the verbal militant fringes against political opponents of similar nomenclature, but not as assistant communications director of a political party (My Gosh! NPP paanie!). 

Her inability to add value or be used in any form at the upper echelon of the party, demands her immediate sack to enable the party to recruit quality, hardworking and intelligent women of caliber to add value, dynamism and progress to the work of NPP Communications outfit. I recently heard (if the rumor is right), that she is using the presidential candidate’s name to undermine the works of the National Women`s Organizer, Otiko Djaba. 

Afua Akoto`s  closeness to the presidential candidate is without doubt at all, and only a fool will stand in her way in NPP. Even big men, civil society guys, party boys and girls are so afraid of her and loathe her at the same time, but shows her fun fool respect to maintain their positions or get new ones. If you think lack of intelligence, skills and ideas are handicapped tools in politics then you have not met this lady. Even skin tone matters in politics, and for a woman, power to become deputy Communications director! (apologies to Bukom Banku). 

Exceptions

For the appointment of other deputies, Adomako Baafi, Pery Okudzeto and Mike Gabo Ocquaye, there is no doubt about their skills in various fields which they bring to bear in their communications delivery. Adomako Baafi`s style represents the grassroots kind which the NPP needs at the upper level to formulate a comprehensive grassroots communications in consonance with the party`s overall communications strategy to inform the lower class of their ability to deliver public goods to them better than the NDC. 

For Nana Obiri Boahen, he has also been more loyal to Nana Addo than the NPP party. He should know that the era of Afoko, Agyapong and Crabbe is over. No need for him to fight with party people over that chapter. He must also denounce his propaganda slurs for the right people in the party to roll them out. NPP has a reputation of being a decent party, though we can also do dirty politics when opponents bring them on but the party has people for that kind of job. In fairness he has been doing just fine, and as an important counter-measure to his Bono brother, Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC General Secretary. Has acerbic tongue and silly talks gone down, largely to all the members of NPP communications Team and Nana Obiri Boahen.

Salam`s burden, Awuku`s intentional fame

Salam Mustapha is still in the doldrums. He has the requisite intellectual capacity, manpower, the political verve and above all, ideas, all he needs to do is to wake up and be all over the place. Lot of young people are unaware of his presence as one of Sammi Awuku`s deputies. Some people think he is slow and weak, but those who know him very can attest to his efficacy as a dependable political hand. His organizing track record with that of Akbar Khomeini in Tamale is without any question at all. 

Perhaps, Salam was not fortunate to be under a meteoric rise of Sami Awuku, a young man whose creativity, hard work, organizational and tactical skills, diplomacy, and popularity have become a novel tradition in the NPP. Awuku, is now like an institution amongst the NPP youth, and has just dwarfed his deputies through no fault of his too. It happens everywhere, when a personality like Awuku is your boss.

The NPP Communications team has been doing well, but it is not enough at all. The party deserves better from them. The presidential candidate in consultation with his advisors must undertake periodic research on his appointees, and relieved the undeserving and wasted appointees in the upper echelons of the communications team, per his findings, to pave way for new and valuable additions. 

NPP has zillions of talented, skilled, professional, amateur and hardworking people waiting on the peripheries to work for their party (some for free) at appropriate departments.