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On January 30, Ivor Greenstreet made history for being the first ever physically challenged person to win a presidential slot in Ghana.

It is increasingly becoming difficult for any disabled person to think of ever contesting elections due to the many challenges they face in the process, but Greenstreet has broken through and this certainly has implications for contemporary Ghanaian politics.

We must bear in mind that all men are the same irrespective of what happens to us. In this vain we should know that all persons within the state, irrespective of physical status have the ability to perform any function of state if given the chance.

This means that in electing and appointing members to public offices we should not only look out for the physically able ones. We should be interested in those with the needed skills and qualities irrespective of their physical status.

This wisdom was known to the Americans when they elected Franklin D. Roosevelt into office for four unprecedented terms in the history of the United States.

This was because the Second World War was on-going and President Roosevelt had proved able to deal with the adventurism of Adolf Hitler and his allies.

As such, against the convention of going for only two terms, the Americans maintained him due to his relevance to the said dispensation.

So even though a cripple he was the only man who stayed in the white house for close to 14 years because they found in him an extraordinary character that was needed for the advancement of the American people and world politics.

But what effect would Ivor’s victory have on the Convention Peoples Party (CPP)? What difference does he bring to the Nkrumah family? It is obvious the CPP has not fared well ever since Ghana returned to constitutional rule some 23 years ago.

Many factors may be cited for this situation, which includes the lack of dynamism on the part of their flag-bearers. It is clear that the party lacks persons with the needed charisma to inspire the people of Ghana to repent from religiously following the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Is he up to the task?

Even though he may not be able to overnight transform the fortunes of the party, Greenstreet has proved to Ghanaians that he is the man to bring the CPP out of the political doldrums.

This is probably due to the overwhelming victory he garnered in the just ended presidential primaries. Scoring 1288 out of the 1992 votes cast, one would not be far from wrong in saying that this man could cause a stir in the general election slated for November this year.

As Ben Ephson of the Daily Dispatch has indicated, he is likely to push the elections to a second round. This was also further buttressed by the display of dynamism in defeating able-bodied men and a woman who is also the daughter of Ghana’s first President and Founder of the CPP.

Yet, if he must succeed, he should begin a process at reconciling all persons who share the Nkrumah ideology. This would be a stressful process as it would mean talking people out of their personal egos and ambitions and making them realize the need to join forces so they could be considered for political power, like the NDC and the NPP.

But one cannot help but admire his spirit of determination. With such a challenge in a country like Ghana no one would ask you to step aside and mind your own business.

Ivor Greenstreet has never been perturbed. As a lawyer, a businessman, a writer and a publisher, he has been the General Secretary of the party for eight years, which shows his resolve to pursue his dreams and serve his nation irrespective of the unfortunate accident that crippled him.

He has indeed proved to be a man with great mental and emotional strength by not allowing his situation to prevent him from achieving all that.

But the most rewarding of his achievement is yet to be seen in the benefit it would bring to persons living with disabilities in Ghana. Firstly, persons within this health bracket would be awakened to the realisation that they could match all others in all respects and therefore be liberated from any sense of intimidation.

Secondly, his elevation to this height would bring awareness about the need to enforce disability laws in Ghana. Laws such as right to access of public buildings are yet to be enforced.

This is due to the many difficulties disabled persons go through in entering school buildings, hospitals and offices, etc. We would overnight be awakened to the fact that these people are equal citizens of the country and therefore the need to create needed infrastructure and institutional framework in order to allow them perform freely within the state.

It would make us know that we have brothers and sisters who face serious barriers to their advancement and fulfillment.

It is rewarding to know that human as we are we would forever have people unfortunate enough not to have the full complements of their bodies.

As such we should at all times make preparations for their peaceful coexistence in society. We should know that in creating barriers in society for such persons we are denying ourselves the blessings such people could bring us if they are giving the opportunity.

It is time we looked at ways of making life comfortable for persons living with disabilities so they could contribute meaningfully to the socio-development of Ghana.

Ivor Greenstreet has indeed proved himself a hero for he would go down in history as a Ghanaian whose physical conditions did not prevent him from bringing out that extraordinary ability he has in him for the betterment of mankind.