Dear Uncle John,
By all indications, you proved to be an embodiment of service and loyalty to your Party, the NPP, having devoted your entire adult life serving the Party with selflessness and distinction. You have been working for the NPP from its founding days till date. You held executive positions in the Party from Polling Station, to Constituency, to Regional and National Level.
You are probably the only individual in the Party who has, since the year 2000, been working as a National Officer at the Party headquarters, occupying the positions of National Finance Officer, National Youth Treasurer, Deputy National Communications Director, National Youth Organizer, National Organizer and Director of Campaign Operations for both 2016 and 2020 General Elections as well as General Secretary.
You are thus, the longest serving National Officer of the Party, and you served your Party well. At the peak of the NPP’s worst internal crisis ahead of the 2016 General Election when almost all hopes were lost, you came to the Party’s rescue with additional responsibility as National Organizer, Head of Campaign Operations and as Acting General Secretary.
You combined these three strategic positions together with your excellent communications prowess, to deliver an unprecedented victory for the Party, winning the Presidential Elections with over 1 million votes difference and also snatched 55 parliamentary seats from the NDC.
In 2020, you again led the Party to win the Presidential Elections with over 500,000 votes difference, which is still the highest votes difference secured by a Party seeking re-election since 1992. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well with the Parliamentary Elections as the Party made a net loss of 32 seats due to the late organization of the party primaries on ground of COVID-19 and other matters of incumbency disadvantage.
Uncle John, you paid your dues to the NPP and the whole country knows that. Your former opposite number, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who led his NDC to two successive electoral defeats which they suffered in your hands, is being worshiped by his Party Members, and indications are that, he would soon be elevated to the position of National Chairman of the Party. Of course, in NPP, we have a much higher standard, but we cannot easily forget of your record.
As General Secretary, you have always implemented decisions of the Party’s National Executive Committee including who served as the Party’s Parliamentary Candidate, even where you disagreed with such decisions. Unfortunately, people who are unhappy with party decisions personalized same and blamed you, as the General Secretary, under whose hands, such “unpopular” decisions are communicated.
Beyond this, as General Secretary, you ensured that the Party was adequately resourced for the 2020 General Elections. You ensured for the first time in the party history, that, financial support was sent to each constituency and regional executive committee on monthly basis, unabated.
In line with the Party Constitution, you ensured that, for the first time in the party’s history, Constituency and Regional Secretaries are paid monthly allowance even though you are not paid any allowance as General Secretary as required by the Party Constitution. Such selflessness!
You allowed the special organs of the party operating under you (Youth, Women and Nasara) to work freely without ever interfering in their activities. You implemented the famous pink-sheet tracking system that made it possible for the NPP to collate its nationwide election results in world record-time of 12 hours. Your achievements are simply innumerable.
Once again, you served your Party well, and you had hoped that your mandate would be renewed to continue serving the Party particularly in its quest to break the 8. This was the reason why you never accepted any offer to leave the Party and serve in Government as a Minister. You told us that the many years of investment the Party had made in you would be meaningless if you left the Party at the crucial time.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as expected. You had a nice message, sold your message to the best of your ability to the party’s rank and file, but majority of the NPP delegates at the 2022 Conference, for some reasons, thought otherwise. They thought you had done enough, and should allow others especially a younger person, Justin Kodua Esq. to succeed you and build on your legacies.
You have said time without number that, as a product of party’s many years of investment, you would continue to serve this Party until you are no more. I know therefore that you would make available your many years of experience to support your successor, Lawyer Justin Kodua to succeed. Your commitment and loyalty to the NPP project is unwavering. Nothing can shake that, not even the events of last Saturday.
Before I conclude, I wish to, on personal level, thank you very much for the opportunity you gave me and many young people to serve the Party at your former office and elsewhere. You mentored me and gave me more than I could ever ask for. It was so humbling and a great delight working for you, boss, and the Party for that matter.
You have thought us to always keep faith with the Party no matter the circumstances we find ourselves. You have thought us to always believe in our Party, and that, our Party is always RIGHT. You have thought us to place the party interest ahead of our personal interest and all other considerations. Much as we may be distraught, we remain committed to the Party particularly in our quest to break the 8.
Once again, thank you uncle John, as we affectionately call you. As human, you were not perfect but you had always tried to work towards achieving perfection. You have served your Party well. Your legacies remain conspicuous and indelible. You are a walking definition of party loyalty and patriotism. You remain true to the very tenets of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition, a tradition of choice and of envy to the World.
I am confident that HISTORY AND POSTERITY WILL BE KIND YOU. Wishing you well in your next endeavour.
Assalamu alaik
Your boy,
Iddi Muhayu-Deen
#ForGodAndCountry
