The Return
To be or not to be was no longer the question!
At the 2017 Volta Regional Conference, I made a strong come-back bid for the Regional Youth Coordinator-ship. Though I could not win, at least I avenged my defeat in the previous election. Immediately after the GNAT Volta Regional Conference in 2017, I began consultations on a totally bigger aspiration – to become the Vice President of GNAT. It was by far the biggest and most challenging campaign project I have ever embarked upon. Elections in GNAT over the years had been characterized by manipulations and jostling. With this at the back of my mind, I set out to work immediately, throwing in my best shot. I was told “It is not your time. Wait. Your time will come. You have lots of years ahead of you”. My regional Chairman did not support me. He endorsed the eventual winner and whipped Volta delegates in line.
Former Secretary General of the United Nations, HE Kofi Annan’s proposition thus: “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society’s margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies” provided a huge inspiration for me and I did not allow any of the discouragements to get to my head. I deployed lots of communication strategies to convince the naysayers that it was time to get a youth at the table and that I was capable. My message dwelt on the capacity of competent young persons to contribute to change and reforms in their communities and organizations. The cult-culture machinery called “we-the-chairmen” coupled with doses of smear campaign caused me that election I was so sure to win. The election results reflected the “it-is-not-your-time” mantra. I did not only lose, I lost with a significant margin. The verdict was long determined. I consoled myself and leaked my wounds.
In 2020, I began consultations on running for GNAT Volta Regional Chairman. Just when I was done with phase one and was about to move into phase two of the process, word got to the regional Chairman. His Chief linguist was angry anybody could dream of contesting his idol. He went straight to the old rulebook. At 14:58 on March 8, 2021, he posted the following on a WhatsApp platform:
“The only contender to gnat Chairmanship has no credentials to contest with flawless Chairman. Contender lost Regional slots in 2017 and lost national elections the following year miserably. Indeed, this person has no credibility to contest a well affirmed choice. Mr. D.K Let him go and contest local or district level elections. He or she is not qualified for Regional Chairmanship slot. The game has just begun and is not for boys.”
As days went by and the campaign peaked, various versions of the cacophony were harped: “It’s not yet Bruce’s time. He should wait for next eight years”, “Bruce should go for national, we’ll support him”. “We asked Bruce to go for national and we shall support him but he refused”. These were accentuated by D.K’s comments to me in the presence of the Regional Treasurer in the evening of May 19, 2021 after the Ho District Conference held at the GNAT Volta Auditorium thus: “If I had heard about your intentions of running for Regional Chairmanship, I’d have advised strongly for you to consider taking another shot at the National Vice President”. I laughed it off and told him to rather make a move for national and I would back him.