Hon. George Mireku Duker, Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has issued a rallying cry to members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as they approach the critical November 4, 2023, NPP Presidential Primary Election, and the subsequent 2024 general elections.
The NPP, founded on July 28, 1992, is a center-right, liberal-conservative party dedicated to advancing democratic values and ensuring prosperity for all in Ghana.
Duker emphasized the party’s rich history, noting that the NPP’s principles and accomplishments under leaders like H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor and H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have had a profound impact.
These include landmark initiatives such as the Free SHS Implementation, NABCo, 1 District, 1 Factory, and Digitalization of Institutions.
The MP stressed the importance of unity within the NPP, stressing that loyalty to the party should take precedence over individual interests.
He underlined the significance of upholding the supremacy of the party and reminded members that all aspirants owe their recognition to the party’s collective efforts.
Drawing on international examples, Duker illustrated the resilience of political parties with strong foundations, referencing cases in South Africa and Australia where breakaway movements struggled to make significant inroads.
He said, “The South African far-left pan-Africanist and Marxist-Lennist political party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), formed in 2013 out of the African National Congress (ANC) led by Julius Malema, which purportedly was to breakdown ANC couldn’t achieve its aim because of ANC’s solid foundation and structure.
“We have a recent instance in Nigeria where a seemingly third force called Peter Obi defected to another party, citing unfair treatment in his original party primaries, a party he was the running mate in the 2019 elections. He lost miserably.”
“In 1955, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) broke off from the Australian Labour Party (ALP) by certain leaders due to various in-party grievances. Though they made some little impact in the 1960s and 1970s, they have been de-registered by Australia’s Electoral Commission as of March 2022 because they couldn’t prove they have at least 1,500 legal members.”
Citing a similar example even within the NPP itself Mr. Duker said, “On January 10, 1997, Charles Wireko Brobbey, the then leading Member of the NPP, formed a new political party called the United Ghana Movement (UGM) as a splitter group from the NPP. He went on to score a paltry 0.3% of popular votes in the 2000 general elections, which couldn’t stop the victory of the NPP.”
Duker urged NPP members to, therefore, maintain their focus and avoid actions that could tarnish the party’s image.
He emphasized the primary challenge that lies in defeating the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and warned that internal divisions only weaken the party’s chances.
The Deputy Minister expressed confidence in the NPP’s ability to secure victory, calling on members to stay united and loyal to the party’s cause, with the ultimate goal of securing another term in power to benefit all citizens.