Former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remain steadfast and strategic in its quest to overturn the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) current parliamentary majority, drawing on historical military lessons and past political comebacks for inspiration.
Speaking to Paul Adom-Otchere on Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, Agyarko acknowledged that the numbers may appear intimidating but insisted that they are not insurmountable.
“In 1999, 2000, the NDC had a parliamentary leadership over the NPP of about 70 or so seats. We were at 61 and they were at 133… for a 200-member parliament,” he recalled. “By the election time, NPP were leading by two, actually, a single two, in 2000.”
He went on to outline other instances where power dynamics shifted dramatically between both parties over the years. “In 2008, NPP had a leadership of about 40… And then in 2016, the NDC had a leadership of about 50. This one is a leadership of 100 or more. 101,” he stated.
Asked whether the NPP could overturn such a huge parliamentary deficit within four years, Agyarko responded with measured confidence. “I wouldn’t frighten myself with these numbers.
They look daunting, right? But you must have a stomach for the fight. Otherwise, you can never win,” he asserted. “You must have the stomach, the plan, and the courage to say that this is what I want to achieve.”
He stressed that the party must accept the current reality and focus on a clear plan rather than dwell on wishful thinking. Drawing on his interest in military strategy, he cited Napoleon’s chief of staff, General Jomini.
“He said that anybody, any general, who is in a battle and starts with, ‘I wish I were in this position,’ has already lost,” Agyarko explained. “No, you accept where you are. This is where I am. This is how I’m going to fight, and this is where I need to get to.”
According to him, success depends on confronting challenges head-on rather than fantasizing about different circumstances.
“But if you start wishful thinking that you wish you were someplace else, you won’t be there. You won’t have the men. You won’t have the ammunition. You won’t have all the tactical support on a wish,” he said. “But if you accept that I’m in this hole, I’m going to dig out. You resolve. Then you can win.”
Agyarko referenced the Battle of Alamein during World War II to illustrate the importance of determination in turning the tide.
“Go to the Battle of Alamein, where the British forces under Montgomery pushed Rommel all the way out of the Middle East or North Africa.
“When he came, he said, this is the line in the sand. There is not going to be any retreat. Hitherto, the Allied Army was always looking for the next place to run to,” he recounted.
Despite the scale of the challenge, Agyarko maintained a tone of optimism about the NPP’s chances. “Highly optimistic,” he declared.
“We have to get our minds and our thinking together and not be daunted by the number, but rather focus on the task ahead and say that it’s doable. We are not saying we are magicians, but it can be done because we have the will, the wherewithal, the strategy to go ahead and do it.”
