Take cue from ZANU-PF, ANC — Koku Anyidoho

The Deputy General Secretary (Operations) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Koku Anyidoho, has advised political parties in the country to take a cue from the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the African National Congress (ANC) for upholding the interest of their political parties first against that of individuals.

Mr Anyidoho, who is also the Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Atta Mills Institute, Vice- President, Council of African Political Parties (CAPP) and President, CAPP (West Africa) said the parties deserved commendation for forcing their respective Presidents out of office for pursuing their personal agenda.

ZANU-PF forced beleaguered and 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe out for attempting to usurp the Zimbabwe Constitution and pave the way for his wife, Grace Mugabe, to succeed him as the next President; while defiant Jacob Zuma would not yield to pressure from his party to resign over several corruption charges. 

According to Mr Anyidoho, his philosophy of party first stemmed from the firm and consensual belief that political parties were institutions; and all institutions must live over and above any particular individual.

Strong institutions

The deputy general secretary of the NDC said in 2010, during the tenure of President John Evans Atta Mills when President Barack Obama visited Ghana, the latter admonished Ghanaians to invest in building “strong institutions” and not invest in building ‘strong individuals’. “At the time President Obama admonished Africa to invest in building ‘strong institutions’, President Mills was the leader of Ghana, but now they are both no longer in office,” he stated.

According to Mr Anyidoho, although it was a truism that the strong and solid visionary thinking of individuals resulted in the building of strong institutions, it was also a truism that visionary leaders were only remembered for building strong institutions, but they never outlived or outlasted the “strong institutions” that they helped to build. 

The deputy general secretary indicated that it was the visionary and strong leadership of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah that led the Gold Coast out of the cold and dark rooms of colonialism into the light of independence and statehood, and laid the strong foundations on which Ghana continued to stand; adding that Ghana had outlived and outlasted Dr Nkrumah.

Mugabe

Mr Anyidoho noted that at 93 and after close to four decades of riding the Zimbabwean horse of state, the ZANU-PF flexed its muscles in the acceptable “party first manner” and “respectfully” ousted former President Mugabe after he attempted to change the constitution and make it possible for his wife to take over as President of Zimbabwe.

He said the ZANU-PF was not ready to cede its supremacy and allow Mr Mugabe to do the unthinkable and get his wife to become the President while the party patiently waited for Emmerson Mnangagwa to mount the horse of state after the exit of Mr Mugabe. 

 He continued that for close to 40 years, the ZANU-PF never relented in backing Mr Mugabe on all fronts and carried him shoulder-high. Obviously, he must have convinced himself that he had become more important than the ZANU-PF and valued himself and his wishes over and above the wishes of the party.

Zuma

In the case of former President Zuma, Mr Anyidoho said Mr Zuma was given a bitter taste of the medicine he fed to Thabo Mbeki about a decade ago when he led the ANC to show the might of the party and oust Mbeki as leader; and went on to force him out as President of South Africa.  

Mr Anyidoho pointed out that Mr Zuma should have known that the ANC would not allow him to continue to single-handedly whittle away the political fortunes of the party because it was some of his unacceptable ways which caused Julius Malema and other comrades to break away from the ANC in 2013 to form the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Party.

‘’Those who do not know, must know that Cyril Ramaphosa was billed by the ANC to become the next President after the tenure of Madiba Nelson Mandela; but the same ANC decided to shelve Ramaphosa,” adding that Ramaphosa dutifully obeyed the voice of the ANC and did not agitate when he was shelved and side-stepped to allow Mbeki to take over from Mr Mandela.

Mr Anyidoho said several years down the line, the ANC had taken Ramaphosa off the shelf, beautifully dusted him and swore him in as the Leader of the ANC and President.