Divine Otoo Agrohom (left) and his two deputies, Nii Adjei Tawia and Joana Adda
Divine Otoo Agorhom defied the odds to win the position of Greater Accra Regional Chairman in the primaries of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) held over the weekend.
He defeated Alfred Boye, who was tipped to win the position.
Despite enjoying support from NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Greater Accra Region, Mr Boye could not win the position.
He also called for recount on two occasions.
At the end of the polls, Mr Agorhom was declared the winner with 276 votes, beating Mr Boye with just seven votes to throw his supporters into jubilation.
The 2018 regional delegates’ conference, which was held at the International Trade Fair Centre in Accra, was generally peaceful.
Slight misunderstandings at the venue were handled by party officials and the police.
Nine new executives were elected to handle the affairs of the party in the region for the next four years.
The biggest margin of win was secured by Prince Obeng, who was elected as the party’s new organiser.
He garnered 400 votes, with his closest contender obtaining only 177 votes.
Nii Adjei Tawiah also beat competition from seven other candidates to become the next First Vice Chairman, while Joana Frances Adda also won the 2nd Vice Chairmanship position.
The Regional Secretary position was won by Daniel Ordalai Parker Francis, who secured 300 votes while Baba Seidu beat seven candidates to win the Assistant Secretary slot.
Rachael Abena Tutu won the position of Treasurer.
Moses Abor won the Youth Organiser position, while Grace Acheampong, who is popularly referred to as O’gre, was elected as the Women’s Organiser.
The Nasara Coordinator position was won by Alhaji Kamil Hussein, who beat seven contestants.
Atmosphere
Although the atmosphere at the venue was charged, the party faithful and the delegates comported themselves.
There was confusion when some delegates could not locate their names in the voters’ register, but the matter was settled for them to vote.
There were anxious moments when some delegates decided to act as polling agents.
They were allowed to sit in the front row, which was close to the queue formed by the delegates.
Security
There was heavy security presence at the Trade Fair Centre, as police officers and personnel for the National Security were deployed to maintain law and order.
The police made their presence felt in the auditorium where the election was held, as they professionally defused the tension and addressed the concerns raised by some disgruntled delegates.
Victory 2020
The new chairman of the party, Divine Otoo Agorhom, in a speech after they were inaugurated by Sammy Awuku, urged the delegates and the other candidates to join forces to achieve victory in the 2020 general elections and beyond.
“Remember we are one family. We need to come together to work with a common goal of the party. We will work assiduously to bring everyone on board to create the best strategies possible to ensure that we go beyond 2024,” he added.
By Gibril Abdul Razak