Bagbin’s Coup Should Be a Wakeup Call for the Sleeping-NPP Leadership and Akufo-Addo’s Overconfident Executive

It should be crystal clear to the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by now that it should wake up from its sleep or just face reality it would continue to sleep into opposition within the next two months or so.

In as much as Speaker Alban Bagbin, both in words and in deeds,, appeared to be more of a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus when he gave his interpretation of Article 97 (1) g and h of the Constitution on Thursday October 17 in Parliament, it would be difficult to blame him for his position taken. His loyalty to the NDC has never been in doubt and he was not about to let his side down at the eleventh hour.

It took the betrayal of someone or some persons from the NPP side of the House to make Bagbin Speaker and that was the genesis of the problem. The ripples of that betrayal was once again manifested on Thursday October 17.

Was the NPP leadership expecting the Speaker to have done its bidding? Obviously no. Why then blame him for playing the same game he has always played from the day he became Speaker, courtesy the betrayal from the NPP side

The blame should be squarely placed at the feet of the current leadership of the NPP and the Akufo-Addo led government for behaving as though, the business of party-politics is same as running a sole proprietorship where people are left unchecked to determine how they run their businesses.

One would have assumed that knowing the situation in Parliament, the NPP would have been a bit more deliberate in ensuring and enforcing the spirit of togetherness and loyalty from its Members.

But that has never been the case. It has been each man for himself and God for no one and no one for the Party.

MPs would not show up in Parliament and there is no concern, command or control from the Center being the Party.

Individual MPs would openly revolt and Party leadership seems unconcerned to call them to order and manage them to fall in line.

Incumbent MPs would file to contest as independent candidates and the mess would be left unresolved until it turns into a slap in the face. Why blame Bagbin is you yourselves opened up your nakedness for exploitation.

If the Party does not take a cue from this development to rally its members and galvanize them into some positive action for the collective interest, it should not be surprised if the Government gets suffocated and torpedoed into opposition.

He who pays the piper calls the tune. The Akufo-Addo led Executive, it if truly pays the piper, should be able to call the tune, at least among its MPs.

Until then, this disregard, disdain and disrespect for political authority and a disjointed and divided front would land the Party into opposition in no time.

Speaker Bagbin and his comrades from the Minority mean business; they are thirsty for political power and are united in that endeavour, singing the same tune of same chorus from the same page of the same hymnal.