The clouds gathered, tension heightened and the political barometer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) rose. Its opponents were expecting that the party would come out from its Tamale National Delegates' Congress bruised and broken.
The political rivals of the NDC constantly referred to its previous September 2005 Congress in Koforidua where the Former National Chairman, Dr Obed Asamoah broke away with other members to form their own party, after what they considered as the mistreatment meted out to them.
Speculations were rife pointing to a Congress that could cause the disintegration of the Party. Outsiders, who were sympathetic to the party's cause, whispered to the party members to be cautious. The NDC was, however, old enough to advise itself.
The chameleon has it that the earth is suspended on a pin and that is why when it sees animals like buffalo, cow, horse and others, it tells them to be cautious about their movements. Thus when the chameleon is moving it puts one foot down slowly and firmly as a test, and when it is secured, it puts the other one down.
Chinua Achebe, the famous Nigerian Writer, says a coward sometimes stands in his compound and points to a ruined compound of where a brave man once lived.
Such caution could be linked to a soul searching question President John Evans Atta Mills asked recently at the Eighth National Delegates' Congress of the NDC held in Tamale to elect party executives.
One may wonder what was going through the minds of the delegates when President Mills asked all and sundry in the Tamale WAEC Hall: "What would have happened to all of us here if we (NDC) had lost the elections?"
President Mills fired the first rocket. The clouds dispersed. That question could have struck a chord for those claiming to have done so much for the party and thought they were being sidelined. That question was philosophical enough for self-introspection.
Then President Mills' second rocket was when he allayed the fears of the Founder of the party, Former President Jerry John Rawlings. He said it was the concerns of what the Founder had expressed that had convinced him to offer himself as a Leader of the Party, especially after he had served under the Founder as his Vice President.
President Mills fired his third rocket when he said he had no faction in the NDC and that the only thing he knew was that he was carved in the image of the NDC.
Those rockets might have shattered clouds, soften hearts, eased tensions and influenced the delegates to have a peaceful and successful congress.
He showed political maturity by pointing out the fact that conflicts were inevitable within human societies and that resolving them non-antagonistically was the most important thing.
Many party loyalists could have felt hurt for being neglected. They must be right because the cat says "nobody goes hunting because of somebody else's throat".
To many people once the NDC won the day, they were satisfied. There were some who wanted to reap where they had not sown. Where they have sown, they wanted to reap more while others were just asking for attention.
It was, therefore, necessary for Government officials to carry the message of what Vice President John Mahama said at the congress.
He said in as much as the Government wanted to avoid a blame game it was clear that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government failed to give ear to a national security advice in 2008 of an impending economic crisis in July of that year - that the rate of inflation was accelerating, which was bound to lead to increase in interest rates, depreciation of the cedi and inability to pay salaries.
"That caution was prophetic but was not heeded." The Eurobond money was taken, which meant that money was taken from the private sector investment capital.
According to the Vice President VODAFONE was sold to raise some money to "cool the overheating".
He said it became very clear that whoever would win Election 2008 was going to be compelled to take radical measures to bring the economy back on track.
Vice President Mahama said those measures included the biting of the bullet and self-discipline.
On Tuesday the Ghana Country Director of the World Bank, Mr Ishac Diwan told a group of Journalists that the NPP Government embarked on reckless spending in 2008 leading to the erosion of most of the gains made in previous years, while responding to an accusation that the Bank had been praising the NPP Government only to turn round to accuse it when it lost power.
The dire economic condition the NDC inherited might perhaps explain the slowness of the Government leading to accusations that the Mills Administration was not living up to its electioneering promises.
However, organizations or parties seldom fail or get disorganised when it comes "to sharing and eating".
By Christian Agubretu