Minister challenges defeated NDC election contestants

Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has rallied losers at the various regional and constituency elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to ensure the party's victory in the 2012 polls.

He urged the defeated contestants not to feel disgruntled but cooperate with the newly elected executives and contribute their quota to the success of the party to prove to the people that they were equally good as those elected.

Mr. Chireh was addressing delegates and supporters of the NDC at the Upper West Regional Delegates Conference in Wa on Saturday to elect executives to manage the affairs of the party.

The best way for them to win the confidence of the people was to stay with the NDC and show commitment to its cause than ever, he advised.

Mr. Chireh noted that the consensus approach that members of the NDC had been using to elect executives for the party in the past was now failing because party politics had now become more comparative.

He called for the proper management of the process in order not to endanger the chances of the party in the 2012 elections.

"We should be careful not to exclude others, we must look for people with competence but we must not also forget inclusiveness. Difference would also be there but let us always move together in unity", he advised.

Mr. Chireh called for the strengthening of party structures at the grassroots to keep the foot soldiers and all other supporters of the NDC focused and not to allow other political parties to influence them to sway due to inactivity.

Naa Seidu Braimah, a Member of Council of State, tasked all those who would be elected to executive positions to manage the affairs of the party to put up a formidable team and work assiduously to win power for the NDC in the 2012 elections.

He said the task ahead was huge and advised the rank and file of the NDC to close their ranks and avoid pettiness and divisive tendency as well as ethnic and factional politics.

"We should see ourselves belonging to one family and refrain from working to see the collapse of the NDC".

The Goli-Naa, who is a beneficiary of this year's Hajji, on behalf of Muslims in the region used the occasion to commend government for organizing a successful pilgrimage for them and said: "This is the beginning of the better Ghana agenda for us Muslim in the country".

Mr. Mahmud Khalid, Upper West Regional Minister, said the different views, concerns and opinions expressed among leading members of the NDC should not be misconstrued to mean that there were crisis in the party.

He said the NDC was more united than before in its purpose and vision and was focusing of delivering the country from its economic mess to improve the lot of the people.

He called on supporters of the NDC to be disciplined and remained loyal to the party and work hard to win all the nine seats in the Region for the NDC in the 2012 polls

This, he said, they could collectively achieve if they avoided complacency, saying: "complacency is an enemy to victory".

Mr. Caesar Kale, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister and a former Regional Secretary of the NDC, asked the delegates to use the conference to assess the strength and weakness of the party and chart a way forward for its growth.

He said the NDC would organise its National Congress from 15 to 17 January in Tamale and suggested that the position of Propaganda Secretary should be changed to Information and Research Director/Secretary.

The propaganda unit at the constituencies should also be given voting rights and be strengthened to facilitate the work of regional executives while the mandate of the executives' tenure of office was extended to four years instead of two years.

Mr. Kale urged the national executive committee of the party to find ways and means of rewarding its "Foot Soldiers" to enable them to reach out to the electorate and explain government policies and programmes as they prepare them for the 2012 elections.

The conference elected a 17 member executive with Alhaji Malik Issahaku as Chairman, Alhaji Natonaa Issahaku, 1st Vice Chairman and Mr. Geoffrey Baduon, 2nd Vice Chairman.

Mr.Adams Issahaque is the Regional Organiser, Mr. Bayong Bin Yasif, Deputy Regional Organiser, Mr. Joseph Naatu, Regional Treasurer and Mr. Kojo Sumba-Wiera, Deputy Treasurer.

The post of Propaganda Secretary went to Mr. Yahaya Yakubu, Mr. Stephen Kpen, Deputy Propaganda Secretary, Mr. Eric F. Dakura Regional Secretary and Mr. Dominic Zineyel, Deputy Regional Secretary.

M. Abubakari Mutiu-Rahaman took the Youth Organiser post, with Mr. Yahaya Yakubu and Mr. Mahmud Adams Prince becoming the Deputy Youth Organizers respectively.

Madam Cecilia Hamza took the Regional Women Organiser post with Madam Fatimata Seidu and Madam Vivian Konku elected first and second Deputy Organisers.