Even the uninitiated can tell by now that the former deputy minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Ledzekuku, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, is lacing his boots to contest for the Seat come 2024.
Many people, who have followed his political exploit over the years, will say he is not a divisive figure by any stretch of the imagination.
Okoe Boye’s life is like that of cow dung, the cover which is the outside is very dry, but the inside is very hot. To people outside his constituency, he e is a fine gentleman, who is very accessible, especially to the media, he is vibrant and brilliant, extremely patriotic, but to his constituents, he is a man full of himself, very arrogant and disrespectful.
A man must not only be judged by what he does in public, but what he does in private when no one is watching. I have told friends that, they are some young politicians that regardless of my political affiliation, I will vote for them any day, if I was in their constituency. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, was one of them, because in my mind, such a fine brain, with a bright future, should not be sacrifice on the altar political leaning.
So imagine my surprise when on December 8, I woke up to the news that, Okoe Boye, has lost his bid to represent the people of Teshie again.
I know as for Teshie they never vote for a Member of Parliament twice, but I was hoping against hope that, Dr. Okoe Boye, was going to be the first person to break that tradition.
He failed not because he performed abysmally, but with every indices that could be used to measure the performance of an MP, Dr. Okoe Boye, could pass with flying colours.
A leader never sees himself as above his people, he sees and treats everyone with respect, no matter their background and achievement in life.
Dr. Okoe Boye, suffers from the excessive need to be seen and heard, His attitude is the very definition of existential superiority: I am Dr. Okoe Boye and you are not!
The verdict on him in the constituency is a direct opposite to how he is seen and received outside. I remember when the deputy ministerial list was released, the one name that many people kept asking why he was dropped, was Dr. Okoe Boye.
He has carved a perfect personality outside his constituency, he was seen as a rare breed of politician, who was able to relate well to his opponents and was well mannered.
To the outside world, he was the perfect example of what is missing in our politics. but back home in his constituency, the situation is different.
Any keen observer of politics in the Ledzekuku Constituency could recall that a contender was forced out of the race when the New Patriotic Party opened nomination for parliamentary candidates in the run up to the 2020 election.
His opponent was forced out of the contest, leaving Okoe Boye to go unopposed. The people of Teshie cannot be fooled by the fake smiles, they know a Cameleon when they see one. He is a nice guy by day and something else by night.
Okoe Boye was a double faced politician, he does not practice what he preaches in public when he is with his people.
He sees himself as special and above them, he has the privilege of education and his people are not, he is brilliant, smart and favoured and his people are not and so they don’t measure up to his standard.
He talks down on them and treats them shabbily; this behavior has created a bad blood between him and the executives of his party in the constituency.
Like his mentor, president Akufo-Addo, he was presented as a messiah, Ghanaians have been longing for. He told us he had a magic wand to turn the fortunes of the country around, he was not corrupt andwill never be corrupt, he will not run a family and friends government, he was a friend of the media and so media freedom, will be entrench, we were told all these and more.
Fast forward, Akufo-Addo, has arguably outperformed his predecessors in the abuse of the presidential power to hire.
His blind and arbitrary generosity with cabinet seats is one reason why the Ghana he governs resembles King Solomon’s portrayal of a chaotic society.
Corruption is no longer the preserve of the few, it has become a by-word in his administration. He condones it, and is out to fight anyone, who dares to fight it.
Akufo-Addo, is the author of ”do or die” elections. He framed the polls as real-life war and victory as ”capture”. He is presiding over a bloody season of unresolved politically motivated killings and brazen vote heists.
President Akufo-Addo, has not done justice to himself as president. He has pushed Ghana in the wrong direction. It is a sign of his shamelessness that he preaches the Promised Land to the nation he betrayed, in every aspect of governance.
Journalists have become endangered species in this country, they cannot ply their trade without fear of being attacked by state actors, and in all instances, president Akufo-Addo, has failed to condemn it.
Dr. Okoe Boye, like president Akufo-Addo, present themselves to the outside as people with integrity, who love their people, but the verdict on them by those they pretend to love is that of failure.
A free advice to the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Okoe Boye, will not win the Ledzekuku seat anytime soon; he will struggle to win the primary of his party, even before the big hurdle.
He is no longer attractive and has incurred the anger of many people in the constituency, especially people within his party.
In order to stand any chance of winning the primary, he has to begin an exercise to redeem his image, build bridges and stop seeing anyone who disagrees with him as an enemy.
That’s how Okoe Boye can bounce back and take his place in the constituency and the country, this poor parody of pretence is deteriorating into an apocalyptic joke before the people!
