The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has held its regional executive elections with the fears that it may disintegrate into total oblivion if it fails to win the 2024 general election.
NDC held the elections from Friday to Sunday and elected officers for the various positions to steer the affairs of the party ahead of the next presidential and parliamentary elections as well as for the next four years.
However, the elections claimed some notable casualties in Volta and North East regions among others as incumbent chairmen lost to new entrants and there are fears the NDC will breakup if members do not unite after the internal elections to win the 2024 polls.
The fears followed the unpredictably high performance of the governing Democrats in the US mid-term elections despite pre-election complaints about high cost of living, rocketing inflation and general economic crisis in that country.
It is now clear Democrats will still control the US Senate with at least 50 seats in the 100-member upper chamber with the Vice President having the casting vote.
Speaking at the NDC’s Volta Regional Delegates Conference in Ho on Saturday, a former Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, urged party members to come together to ensure that the party wins the 2024 elections to prevent it from a possible collapse.
The former MP for the Avenor-Ave constituency now Akatsi South entreated party faithful to be united and remain focused as the current economic crisis in Ghana is not sufficient to guarantee the party a victory in the upcoming general election.
“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.
“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…So let us not be complacent.
“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,” Mr. Doe Adjaho warned.
Election casualties
In the Volta Region, the incumbent chairman, Henry Ametefe, was a casualty of delegates as he suffered a knock out.
He was beaten to the chairmanship position by Mawutor Agbavitor who polled 203 votes with him obtaining 130 votes.
The result was 180 votes less than what Mr. Ametefe polled four years ago to beat Frank Afriyie to the position.
The newly elected First Vice Chairman for the Region, Egypt Kudoto appealed to both winners and losers in the election, to work together to win power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) come December 2024.
Also in the North East Region, a former Member of Parliament for Yagba/Kubori constituency, Ibrahim Abdul-Rauf Tanko was elected as the Regional Chairman.
At the regional congress held at Nalerigu on Saturday, Mr. Tanko beat his closest contender Saaka Abdul-Razak with a wide margin.
He polled 132 votes as against 40 votes obtained by Mr Abdul-Razak.
The incumbent, Alhassan Nantomah Sandow polled 22 votes while another contender Labik Joseph Yaani had 20 votes.
Meanwhile, the incumbent Upper West regional chairman Abdul Nasir Saani also known as ‘Chairman Bunas’ was re-elected brushing aside pre-election speculations that he will be rejected at the polls.
Chairman Bunas polled 227 votes whilst his only challenger in the chairmanship race, Mr. Alhassan Adams polled 157 votes.
