We have all heard the ancient proverb, passed down through generations of wisdom: “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” Another reminds us poignantly, when two brothers fight and die, enemies will take over the land. For the New Patriotic Party (NPP), this is not merely a saying; it is a painful, self-inflicted prophecy that has become our tragic reality.
We are the elephants, magnificent in our strength and history, but so consumed by our internal battles that we fail to see the very ground beneath us, the party, the nation, our legacy being trampled into dust.
The just-ended 2024 general election should have been a celebration of our record, a vindication of our ideals. Instead, it has become a funeral dirge for what could have been. And the cause of death is not a formidable external enemy, but a familiar, festering wound from within. It is the wound of unforgiveness, the poison of post-primary bitterness that we, unlike our political rivals, seem genetically incapable of purging.
Look across the political aisle. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) engages in primaries that are often fierce, brutal, personal, and filled with as much tension as our own. Yet, when the dust settles, they perform a political magic trick we have never mastered: they unite.
They understand a fundamental truth that eludes the NPP, that the party is supreme, a cathedral built by many hands, not a shrine to any single individual. They sheath their daggers and march, shoulder to shoulder, towards a common goal. For them, the battle ends when the primary ends. For the NPP, it merely enters a new, more insidious phase.
This is not a new sickness. It is a recurring nightmare. In 2008, the cracks from a bruising primary never truly healed, and we lost our way. In 2024, history, that cruel teacher, has given us the same lesson, written in the same red ink of defeat. We saw it, the silent sabotage, the whispered campaigns, the supporters of a fallen candidate refusing to lift a finger, or worse, actively undermining the party’s chosen flagbearer. We saw the grass, the ordinary party faithful, the voters who believe in our cause suffer as the elephants continued to fight a war that was supposed to be over.
And now, as we look to January 31st, 2026, a chilling sense of déjà vu descends. The stage is being set for another round of internal combat. The air is already thick with ambition, and the shadows of past grievances loom large. If we proceed down this path, we are not heading for a primary; we are marching towards a pre-ordained funeral for the 2028 elections.
To the esteemed presidential aspirants: We beg of you, see beyond the immediate prize. You are not just contestants; you are custodians of a great tradition. Your ambition is valid, but it must be tempered by a profound love for the party that gave you a platform. When the last vote is cast, and a winner emerges, the true test of your leadership begins. Can you, in defeat, embrace your brother and campaign for him with the same fire you campaigned for yourself? Can you, in victory, extend a genuine hand of reconciliation, not just a perfunctory one, and bring your rivals into your fold? Remember the words of Ecclesiastes: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” A party united behind its leaders is invincible. A party fractured by its leaders is a house doomed to collapse.
To the teeming, passionate supporters: Your loyalty is the lifeblood of the party. But blind loyalty that turns into venomous attacks against other party candidates is a poison that kills the host. The insults you hurl online, the accusations you level in the media, the divisions you sow at the grassroots; these are the cracks that become chasms. When your candidate errs, as all humans do, correct with love, not destroy with hate. Do not be the foot soldiers of the party’s destruction. Your war should be against the political opponents in the NDC, not against your own brothers and sisters in the NPP.
Look beyond our borders. The story of the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa teaches us that even the most legendary liberation movements can be crippled by internal factionalism. The once-mighty Republican Party in the United States provides a stark lesson of how internal civil wars can render a great party ungovernable and unelectable. Must we travel these ruinous roads ourselves?
NPP is all we have. It is the vehicle of our collective hope, the embodiment of a tradition of progress and freedom. We must not be the generation that destroys it from within because of personal egos and unchecked ambitions.
Let the 2026 primaries be different. Let it be a competition of ideas, not a war of personalities. Let it be a festival of democracy that leaves us stronger, not a gladiatorial arena that leaves us bleeding. Let us learn to forgive, to unite, and to fight for the elephant, not as separate, warring beasts, but as a single, unstoppable force.
This is not merely a call for political expediency; it is a call for the soul of the NPP and the future of Ghana. A quick reminder, when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. Again, when brothers fight and die, enemies will take the land, and the nation bleeds. Let us not bleed ourselves dry before the true battle for national leadership even begins.
For if we do not, the grass will not just suffer; it will wither and die, leaving us with nothing but the barren dust of regret.
May this plea resonate in every heart and guide every hand as we march toward the primaries, the general elections, and beyond.
Long live the NPP!
Long live Ghana!
By Adjei Worlanyo Frank
