By: Jude Tackie
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, CEO of the National Petroleum Authority and a prominent figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has emphasized the need for the NPP to adopt a resolute counter-offensive approach after selecting its flagbearer.
Abdul-Hamid’s remarks come as the NPP initiates the process of determining its flagbearer for the 2024 General Elections. He expressed his concerns about the NPP’s ability to push back against criticism of the government’s achievements by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He noted that the absence of a clear NPP candidate had created a gap and allowed the NDC to freely critique government accomplishments. The NDC, having a candidate and a rallying point, had been able to articulate its message effectively and maintain a consistent push against the government.
He stated, “After today, what I want to see now is what in war is described as a counter-offensive approach. Because quite frankly what has been happening is that because the NPP had no candidate and therefore had no rallying point, it looks like the NDC had a free way to basically rundown the gov’t achievements and because they had a rallying point.”
Abdul-Hamid’s expectations for the NPP post-flagbearer selection are clear, he anticipates that the party will become more proactive in conveying its message and effectively countering opposition arguments.
“Because we also didn’t have a rallying ground there was no serious push back. So what I expect after today is that the NPP is going to be more up-front with message,” he added.
He believes that the best candiadate to lead the charge is none other than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamdu Bawumia.