Delegates of the opposition National Democratic Congress have started arriving at the Fantasy Dome at Trade Fair in Accra for Saturday’s Congress which will elect a new general secretary, chairman and other national executives of the party.
Over 9000 delegates are expected to take part in the polls.
Political watchers say the general secretary slot is the keenest as the incumbent Johnson Asiedu Nketia is being challenged by his deputy Koku Anyidoho.
Starr News’ Eric Mawuena Egbetta who is at the Fantasy Dome reports that the delegates are upbeat about their chances in the 2020 elections after their internal polls.
This year’s national executive elections will see some changes in key positions, including the election of the vice chairman.
The position of the national chairman will have three vice chairpersons instead of six as prevailed in the previous elections.
The party has also changed its voting pattern where one form is used to vote for several positions for different candidates. Each vote will be exclusive to a candidate.
Chairman race
The National Chairmanship race is also going to be exciting, as the only female contender, Betty Mould Iddrisu, a former Attorney General and current Vice Chairperson of the party, slugs it out with four other leading members.
Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu, who served as Attorney-General during the Mills/Mahama administration, supervised the fraudulent payment of GH¢51.2 million to Alfred Woyome which has become an albatross around the neck of the party.
NDC’s Director of Elections, who supervised a disastrous 2016 general elections, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, former NDC General Secretary, Hudu Yahaya, and former Trade and Industry Minister and former NDC MP for Keta, Dan Abodakpi, have all shown interest in the chairmanship race.
Danny Annang, former Greater Accra Chairman of the NDC, who also helped to win the 2008 elections, is also vying for the post.
Hudu Yahaya was in the race in 2014 but chickened out at the last-minute while Mr. Abodakpi also lost to Kofi Portuphy, who is not seeking re-election after sending the party to opposition.
Abodakpi’s nomination
The initial list released by the party did not include Mr. Abodakpi, who was Ghana’s Ambassador to Malaysia but yesterday he officially filed his nomination at the party’s headquarters at Adabraka in Accra to start full campaign.
It was Joe Gidisu, former Minister of Roads and Highways and NDC MP for Central Tongu, who presented Mr. Abodakpi’s nomination forms to Justice Affum, a member of the NDC National Election Department.
Mr Gidisu said the former minister’s campaign theme is “Heal, Unite, Reconnect, Restore.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
