On Friday, November 11, 2022, the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) began its regional conferences across the nation.
The regional conferences were to elect regional executives whose responsibility will be to organise the party at the regional levels for the next four years.
In all, 712 candidates contested for the positions of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Deputy Secretary, Organiser and Deputy Organiser, Treasurer and Deputy treasurer.
Other positions that were up for grabs were Communications Officer and Deputy, Women’s Organiser and Deputy, the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Youth Organiser and Deputy.
Meanwhile, elections were postponed in Bono East and Ahafo regions, and in the Eastern region, only the women and youth organiser elections came off.
Obviously, the biggest task of the elected regional executives will be to wrestle power from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) come 2024.
At the Volta regional conference, former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho who was the keynote speaker employed delegates to sacrifice their all for the party, to ensure the party comes into power in 2024.
Doe Adjaho, Former Speaker of Parliament
“We are a social democratic party, we put people at the centre of what we do so please I beg you, colleagues I beg you, we have to win the 2024 elections otherwise NDC will be disintegrated. Let’s sacrifice for this party for once.”
He admonished delegates to refrain from thinking the current economic crisis in the country was sufficient enough to make Ghanaians defer to the NDC in the general elections.
“The statement is that we should not be complacent as a party. The mid-term elections in the United States have taught us that hardship alone, inflation and the economy cannot win an election.”
“Hardship is a factor, and cost of living is a factor, but it is not sufficient. We have to work hard, we have to be united and present a united front in this region and in the party.”
Doe Adjaho, Former Speaker
Some Major Casualties in NDC’s Regional Elections
The regional conferences produced some shocks.
At the Tema Sports Stadium where delegates in the Greater Accra region met to elect their executives, incumbent Chairman, Joseph Ade-Cooker has been ousted out of office by Former MP of Adentan Constituency, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore.
Ashie Moore polled 327 votes whiles the incumbent Chairman, Ade-Cooker polled 222 votes. With a difference of 107 votes, Ashie Moore will be leading the charge to bring NDC into power in the Greater Accra region.
Incumbent Chairman of the region that has been described by many as the ‘world bank’ of the NDC, the Volta region, also lost his position.
Henry Ametefe, lost the Chairmanship of the Volta region to Mawutor Agbavitor who polled 203 votes as against Mr. Ametefe’s 130 votes.
In the Western region, while the incumbent regional Chairman retained his position by a wide margin of 415 votes, the Vice-Chair position produced some surprises.
The former Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Charlotte Otuwa Odu toppled out the former DCE of Ellembelle, Daniel Eshun who was the incumbent Vice-Chairperson.
Madam Charlotte polled a total of 264 votes whiles the incumbent Vice-Chair, Mr. Eshun had 119 votes.
In the North Eastern regional conference, incumbent Chairman, Alhassan Sandow Natogmah was also defeated by Ibrahim Abdul-Rauf Tanko who polled 132 votes in Saturday’s election.
Meanwhile, National Secretary of the party, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, speaking at the Bono regional conference, advised all aspirants not to consider themselves as outcasts from the party should they not win.
“Not being voted for does not mean you are not part of the party… because at every point in different times people are required to execute a particular task for a result.”
Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary -NDC
According to Asiedu Nketiah, “the party needs a collective effort to beat the NPP in the next general election,” and so whether an aspirant wins or loses, he or she must come on board to make that a reality.
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