Let’s face it: the 2024 election battles were tough. That’s why the victory is sweet.
And “it is possible” that President John Mahama and the NDC MPs could have lost if the much feared National Communications Authority boss Joe Anokye’s “NPP IT Infrastructure for capturing pink sheets” had worked this time around.
The incumbent NPP’s presidential candidate admitted that their “own internal collations” showed that John Mahama had won.
Today the NDC has won 31 out of the 34 seats in Greater Accra and there are a few more under contention.
Therefore, we need to turn our attention to what the NDC party did to secure the victory.
The unsung national hero here is Emmanuel Ashie Moore, the indefatigable Greater Accra Regional Chairman, popularly known as the former MP for Adentan constituency.
When Ashie Moore took over the chairmanship of the Greater Accra Region, only three years ago, the NDC held 20 seats out of 34.
“I promise to increase our seats from 20 to 24,” he said at the time. “But this will involve a clear strategy, hard work and supply of logistics for our door-to-door campaigns”.
One can clearly infer from Ashie Moore’s wildest dreams and most exciting political moment that he didn’t envisage toppling Ursula Owusu-Ekuful from the Ablekuma West seat.
Nor did he dream of capturing Okaikoi South, a constituency the NPP has held since 1996.
Ayawaso Central, another stronghold of the NPP which was held by Sheik Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye (Sheikh I.C. Quaye) for a long time and now held by incumbent Henry Quartey, the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, now Minister for the Interior has fallen.
The Interior Minister commands a lot of special forces and even hoodlums that can cause another Ayawaso West Wuogon Bye-Election violence.
In the past he has undisputedly done a lot of “dirty jobs” for the NPP.
But under the systematic planning regime of Emmanuel Ashie Moore, aided by a disappointed electorate, and the grace of the Almighty GOD, “Greater Accra make sweet paaa,” as one Trotro mate observed at Awoshie traffic light on my way to work on Thursday.
It’s sweet because Ashie Moore put in the work.
“He himself was in the streets with us doing door-to-door campaigns,” stated Raphael Apetorgbor, the deputy communications officer for Anyaa Sowutuom.
Raphael Apetorgbor was eulogising Ashie Moore during the launch of a campaign booklet Apetorgbor had compiled to remind the electorate of the NDC’s achievements under the erstwhile JM Administration.
A small booklet, a personal initiative of a virtually unknown quantity even in Greater Accra NDC let alone national politics.
But Businessman Ashie took interest.
He was there to help launch the booklet, thus patronising personal initiatives like the way he markets his fast moving consumer goods.
The party folk used the material to campaign door-to-door.
Yes, the NDC lost the Anyaa Sowutuom contest, but the fact that Ashie Moore did not abandon the so-called orphan constituencies – those constituencies whose incumbent MPs belong in the opposite party – speaks volumes.
If my argument seems a stretch, let’s turn the problem on its head: if the NDC had lost the election, would Ashie Moore have still gained the respect of his party folk for another term as Regional Chairman? Most likely, yes!
Looking at Ashie Moore’s feat from another perspective, the NDC has in the past won all seats in the Volta (then including the new Oti Region), Upper West and Upper East Regions. This does not take any credit away from those victorious regional chairmen.
The NPP also at a certain period under President JA Kufuor’s Administration won all Ashanti Region seats.
In the NPP stronghold of Anyaa Sowutuom constituency where I reside, for example, Dr Bawumia polled 40854 (50.61 per cent) versus JM’s 38433 (47.61 per cent), a difference of a meer 2421 votes for a constituency that has voted NPP since 1992 – a period of 32 years and counting.
As Kofi Asare Brako aka Abaten, the famous Twi sports presenter will say in his trademark commentaries, “Ekaa kiti-kiti-kiti-kiti,” meaning the player missed the goal post by mere inches.
JM won Ablekuma West by some seven thousand votes and Reverend Kweku Addo beat incumbent Ursula Owusu in this otherwise formidable NPP safe seat which the NPP has not lost since they started contesting it in 1996!
We all did not like the loquacious Ursula Owusu.
So Ashie Moore had to do a Peter Amewu – get voters from other constituencies with multiple addresses to register in Ablekuma West.
Let’s admit it: all parties do that; it’s a form of gerrymandering.
Rev. Kweku Addo also helped himself by simply providing free borehole water in front of his house at Dansoman Last Stop which neighbours fetched even at 2am.
Since the Electoral Commission bosses sat at their headquarters and used Google maps and other apps to determine which polling stations should vote in a particular constituency contrary to the natural boundaries on the ground, everyone had to go looking for their voting centres in places far from home.
This was a very sophisticated form of gerrymandering in the absence of creating new electoral boundaries.
The hunter, that is, the EC cum NPP, had learnt to shoot without aiming, hence the Ashie Moore birds needed to learn how to fly without perching.
Ashie Moore and his Aplankei (drivers mates) – his executives/assistants/acolytes across all levels – learnt how to evade the EC cum NPP’s gerrymandering tactics.
That is the secret Suulia strategy and tactics – dribbling the football between the legs – of the EC cum NPP that won the Greater Accra victory.
Previous NDC strategies, tactics and political Suulia include getting the NPP to lose in opposition presidential candidate JA Kufuor’s own polling station within the Airport Residential Area; winning La Dadekotopon, then NPP Chairman Peter Ala Adjetey’s home constituency; winning Odododiodioo, the home constituency of then NPP Chairman Odoi Sykes; winning Klottey Korley, the constituency that houses the seat of government – both the Osu Castle and Jubilee House and the Ministries enclave.
Suulia involves a lot of foresightedness, strategic thinking, body swerve tactics and playing according to the referees whistle while looking for plaudits from the fans.
If it fails, the initiating player is doomed to mockery because everyone can see what he/she is trying to do.
Yes, Ghanaians were upset with the NPP but Ashie Moore crafted, coordinated and completed a successful political strategy that deserves his rightfully earned applause.
“Chairman,” here, “chairman,” there, “chairman,” everywhere; everyone calling him for suggestions, solutions and the usual “resources”.
Now among the Ga from which Nii Ashie Moore hails, when you chalk an excellent feat in any field of endeavour, you are elevated to the title Nuumo.
Nuumo usually means old man; Ashie Moore is only 55 years; still in his prime; not an old man by any yardstick.
But Nuumo also means Wulomo or chief priest or a highly respected and venerated man.
With 31 out of 34 seats in the Parliamentary election including the presidential victory, Nii Ashie Moore, gets the illustrious and venerable title Nuumo Ashie Moore.
Nuumo Ashie Moore, Moeee! Ayekoo! Akpe!
