NRFA Elections 2019: My Opinion on how it was won and lost – Kwaku Oduro

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A cross-section of delegates and accrdited stakeholders at the Aliu Mahama Sports stadium during the NRFA Elections 2019

Introduction

FINALLY! The Northern Region Football Association Chairmanship elections are over. We thank God for a successful exercise. The delegate decided on Abu Alhassan Mahamadu popularly known as Alhaji Rhyzo. CONGRATULATIONS to Alahji! This is what I have learned about winning elections in the football circles and will expand on them below.

The two NRFA candidates

I don’t have much to say about the two fine gentlemen who put themselves up for the highest position in Regional football. Both Alhaji Abu Alhassan and Umar Farouk (Chairman FK) have contributed and are still contributing in their own special ways to the development of Northern football. Alhaji Rhyzo capitalized on his experience and Visionary Leadership qualities to propagate and disseminate his message of Transforming Northern football. Chairman FK on the other hand also exploited his youthful nature and stood for the development of Northern football through passion and love for the game.

Football election is different from partisan politics election

In partisan politics, the norm in Ghana is to hit hard on the weaknesses of your opponent and sometimes resort to insults and personal attacks to sway your opponent. In Football politics, you respectfully acknowledge the strength of your opponent BUT send a message to the delegates that your strength far out-weighs that of your opponent. That is exactly what the two candidates did from the day they declared their intentions to contest and even made more evident on the day the respective candidates launched their manifestos.

Then came the Communication Teams. What Chairman FK’s Communication Team failed to understand was that, this election was a sport election and the bedrock and foundation of every sport – which football is no exception – is unity and respect no matter how hard you are pushed against the wall. In my candid opinion, they wasted so much precious air time and social media space to respond to individuals and personalities that they had little time to sell their candidate. They made the space around Chairman FK an intimidating and a hot area where people now were expecting the ‘next insult’ or the ‘next attack’. Which definitely will sway swing voters to your opponent’s camp.

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Alhaji Rhyzo’s team were no angels. For a lack of a better expression, I must say they also had little components of attacking comments but what Alhaji did was to quickly call his team to order and asked all of them to restrain from campaign-of-insults-and- personal-attacks. This got him some votes I believe.

Conclusion

In the end, the elections are OVER and I am happy with the level of peace in the system.

Alhaji Rhyzo should not relegate Chairman FK, he should find an influential place for him in the Regional FA. He has good ideas.

By: Kwaku Oduro

 

 

 

 

 

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