Dr Emmanuel Omane Tinkorang: NPP propaganda and NDC propaganda.

NPP realized early in the day that their greatest obstacle to political power was the persona and charisma of NDC's candidate John Mahama. They concluded that the only way they could win power was to fatally injure Mahama's personality.

They adopted a very effective strategy in collaboration with the media cabal to tag Mahama with anything that was wrong with the country. No lights - just say Mahama, unemployment - Mahama, corruption any where in the public service - Mahama, galamsey - Mahama, poverty - Mahama, no money in your pocket - Mahama, sexual impotence - Mahama!

Indeed, this strategy was so effective that despite being one of the most effective governments in the 4th Republic in restoring public infrastructure and undertaking fiscal reforms, a very negative outlook was placed on everything Mahama's administration achieved. Useful infrastructure projects were described as overpriced and the difference going directly into Mahama's pocket.

So even though the Mahama administration showed the greatest acceleration in infrastructure restoration in the history of the 4th Republic, this achievement was largely made a negative in the perception of the electorate.

Anything that went wrong in any public institution even in the remotest of districts was Mahama's fault. A district education superintendent fails to go for her allocation of chalk, the absence of chalk in the classroom is blamed on Mahama.

Any appointee who did anything inappropriate was labelled "Mahama boy or Mahama girl".

The rest is history! Mahama lost the election. Enter Nana Akufo Addo. Now the media cabal says we must hold heads of institutions responsible for what goes wrong in their organizations. Electricity goes off - It is ECG or GRIDCO! Workers are not paid - it is Ministry of Finance or CAGD. With all the stinking corruption that has happened at BOST, there has been a successful insulation of Nana Addo from the rot. Indeed his Vice Bawumia is the one rather being drawn into the quagmire. Suddenly the President is no longer responsible for everything that goes wrong in Ghana. Indeed People like Prof Adei and Prof Martey condemn anyone who criticizes the new administration.

Indeed the Majority continue to see Mahama as the main obstacle to their holding on to power. In their press conference to push back on the BOST stinker, they mentioned some payments made by BOST to the office of the chief of staff. In collaboration with their main mouthpiece the Daily Guide, without presenting any shred of proof put out a story implying that Ghc22 million was paid by BOST to Mahama. In any case I'm informed by close FSH insiders that the request was made by National Security and those payments were approved by the BOST board and were meant to help defray payments for fuel for the security services during the difficult years between 2014 and 2015.

Anyway to continue my analysis, I believe this is the difference between NPP and NDC propaganda. The President's cousin (note that in Africa we have no name for cousin), so the President's brother is involved in a massive $2.25 billion stinking bond, and yet all references to the bond are to the Finance Minister or Ken Ofori Atta as an individual, with no link to the President personally. Under Mahama, it was always Presidents brother or Presidents boy. With all the rot happening under Nana Addo, NPP and media cabal have insulated him from the mess. Alfred Obeng is not "Nana Addo boy". Under Mahama's administration, The media cabal headline would have been "Mahama boy in Ghc15 million contaminated fuel fraud", with a picture of Mahama side by side with Awuah Darko or Mahama alone. It created a link directly between the fraud and Mahama. These are the mass communication and propaganda tidbits that NPP and their cabal have mastered.

But the positive news is that propaganda must be based on reality otherwise it unravels fast. NPP's propaganda was far removed from reality and that's why it is unravelling fast. NDC must halt its negative, useless regurgitation of NPP's propaganda against Mahama and look forward with confidence into the future. After all, if Mahama doesn't run, whoever takes over from him must run on his record.

I rest my case!

Michael Nkrumah