On Friday, March 8, 2024, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of Ghana and Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress (APC) announced their commitment to collaborating towards the progress of their respective populations following a high-level meeting in Accra aimed at enhancing their bilateral relations.
During a joint press briefing immediately after their closed-door discussions, the two political entities expressed their solidarity and mutual determination to work together towards shared objectives, underlining the advantages of their reinforced cooperation.
“This is to let you know that something good is about to happen”, with his customary composure and a wide grin, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, the National Chairman of the NPP, exchanged glances with Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the APC, during their meeting.
This gathering of the two ruling political parties follows a recent trip to Abuja by the NPP Chairman, aimed at initiating discussions to fortify their longstanding alliance.
Alhaji Ganduje, also speaking to the press, emphasized the importance of formalizing the relationship between the two parties, given the prevailing political uncertainties in the region.
“We have to have engagements between the two political parties. We have to share our experiences. We have to share our challenges because as ruling parties in development countries we have peculiar challenges.
The challenges of providing dividends for our people with diverse interests; the challenges of opposition; the challenges of holding friendship of political parties – small, big and medium; and the challenges of external influences in our democracies,” he noted.
The obstacles that political parties face in governance are so great that in order to address the needs of both the diverse interest groups that make up the party and the people they represent, strategic initiatives and programs must be introduced.
“In Nigeria, our party, we have constituted a progressive institute for the education of our members who must be conversant with all issues pertaining to democracy for sustainable political development.
“This institute is working very hard to ensure that we consolidate internal democracy. A ruling party has the problem of internal progress because of the interest of internal groups. You have power in your hands – how to manage the power you need a powerful institution like a strong political party”, he underscored.
Alhaji Ganduje, who was extremely passionate about the growth of the two political parties in the subregion, stated that in order to further solidify their gains, they must constantly learn from one another and acknowledge the contributions of their predecessors.
He felt that doing so will inspire party members to put in more effort and accomplish more for their parties.
“We believe when we are conducting our elections, international observers, the international community, and civil society organizations from foreign countries do come to our countries to see what we are doing. But, can’t we have that one between ourselves as African countries?
“If Ghana is conducting an election, we need our ruling party in Nigeria to be here in Ghana. The same thing if we are conducting an election, we need your party in Nigeria because the experience you learn are more important than the experience that the foreign countries are coming here to learn in Nigeria because we have different political contest, different political background, different political aspirations but we as Africans we have similar political challenges”, he concluded.