The die is cast as 6,730 delegates of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will converge at the Accra Sports Stadium to elect officers to lead the party for the next four years.
The mandate of the yet to be elected new executives also include retaining the party in power in the 2024 general elections in what has been tagged ‘Breaking The 8’.
The event starts at 10am with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia among other dignitaries who will grace the occasion.
So far, 48 people have been cleared to contest the election for the 10 elected positions to take over from the Freddie Blay-led outgoing team who won two electoral victories for the party, bringing it from opposition as acting chairman and later substantive one.
However, what is certain in today’s contest is that the incumbent Women’s Organiser, Kate Gyamfua, will retain her position with no sweat as other incumbent officers struggle to swim through as their challengers give them a run for their money.
She is being challenged by two other people including her deputy, Hajia Sawudatu Saeed and a certain Ellen Ama-Daaku, whom it is believed, is not based in Ghana but trying to use the election as a launching pad.
Ms. Gyamfua, who is said to have hosted the women organisers across the country at Alisa Hotel, and allegedly booked hotel rooms for them, is expected to make mincemeat of her challengers.
Aside that, the bookmakers and political pundits are finding it difficult to stick their necks out on other positions, with the exception of the National Chairmanship where Stephen Ayesu Ntim is billed to grab it after four consecutive failed attempts.
This time around, Mr. Ntim, a former Vice Chairman, maintained a low profile campaign, refusing to grant interviews, having suffered media backlash in the last delegates’ conference in Koforidua in the Eastern Region. Other chairmanship aspirants are Stephen Asamoah Boateng, a former minister in the Kufuor administration and the immediate past Director General of SIGA and George Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah, the outgoing National Treasurer, who are likely to pick second and third positions. Asamoah Boateng is being backed by some MPs but it appears to be Ntim’s time with delegates showing sympathies for his previous losses. The rest of the chairmanship contestants are Prof Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Chairman of Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and a former Minister of Education under the Kufuor administration, Gifty Asantewa Ayeh popularly called Daavi Ama, a former National Treasurer who is being allegedly backed by Kwadwo Mpiani, a former Chief of Staff under Kufuor, Sammy Crabbe, a suspended Second Vice Chairman and Akwasi Osei Adjei, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Most of the contestants are more visible in their bedrooms than on the political field.
For the General Secretary slot, it is straight fight between incumbent John Boadu and Justin Kodua Frimpong of the Youth Enterprise Agency (YEA). He was a former Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser until his appointment as YEA boss.
Kodua, also known as JKF, is believed to enjoy the support of his former boss, Sammi Awuku, aka ‘Boys Boys’ and some MPs in the Ashanti Region.
He will give John Boadu, who was endorsed by 15 regional chairmen of the party except his home region, Central, a run for his money. But his campaign has been centered on how he succeeded to steer the party to two successful victories as General Secretary.
The rest, who are just adding up to the numbers, are former Tamale MCE, Iddrisu Musah Superior, former Suhum MP, Frederick Opare Ansah and a Tema-based school proprietor, Ramseyer Ahmed Agyeman Prempeh also known as ‘Go and grow’. The former Western Regional Secretary, Charles Bissue, saw the signs early by throwing in the towel.
For the position of National Vice Chairpersons, the front runners are Kingston Akomeng Kissi, immediate past Eastern Regional Chairman, Michael Omari Wadie, 3rd Vice Chairman, Danquah Smith Buttey, former Central Regional Chairman and Rita Talata Asobayire, incumbent 1st Vice Chairperson.
The rest are Ishmael Yahuza, McJewells J. Annan, Edmund Oppong-Peprah, Derrick Kwaku Nkansah, Ken-Wuud Nuworsu, former Volta Regional Chairman and Alhaji Masahudu Osman.
For the National Organiser position, it is a straight fight between Henry Nana Boakye, aka Nana B and Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, former MP for Tema East, who enjoys the support of his former colleagues in Parliament.
Others in the race are Bright Essilfie-Kumi, Seth Adu Adjei, Daniel, Eric Amoako Twum, and Nana Owusu Fordjour.
For the Youth Organiser position, it is between Salaam Mohammed Mustapha of the Office of the President and Michael Osei Boateng aka Pope, with Abanga Fuseini Yakubu and Prince Kamal Guma following.
For the Nasara Coordinator, the race is between the incumbent Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa, who could not even penetrate his Nima base and six other contestants – Haruna Maiga, Abdul Rahman Diallo (both of whom are making their second attempts), Isaka Muaza Kunata, Awal Mohammed of YEA, Sulemana Alhassan Atakpo and Haruna Ismael.
The election will be supervised by the Electoral Commission, according to Peter Mac Manu, Chairman of the NPP’s National Elections Committee.
He told the media that the party would not condone any form of vote-buying, adding his team is collaborating with the Ghana Police to ensure an incident-free conference.
By Fortune Kwame Alimi