Ashanti NPP in nerve-racking contest
THE BATTLELINES have already been drawn in what is expected to be a keenly contested Regional congress of the opposition New Patriotic Party(NPP) for the election of regional executives slated for the latter part of the month.
Various contestants, The Chronicle has gathered, have been combing the nooks and crannies of the region trying to garner support for their bids, ahead of the congress to be held on December 30, this year.
After months of underground scheming and campaign, the men appear to have been separated from the boys after the party officially opened nominations last week for prospective candidates to file papers for their respective positions. Most of the names which initially did the rounds as likely contenders were conspicuously missing.
At the close of nominations last Friday, only two, out of five persons who were rumored to be eyeing the regional chairmanship position had filed their nominations to contest for the position while a total of seven candidates have set their eyes on both the first and second vice chairmanship slots.
A total of six candidates, made up of three in each position, had also filed their papers to contest in the Regional Secretary, Regional Organizer and the Youth Organizer slots with two candidates vying for the Regional Women's' Organizer position.
In the regional chairmanship position, the names of the Bantama constituency chairman, Mr. Henry Kokofu, the former District Chief Executive of Kwabre, Alhaji Akwasi Yeboah and the ex-MCE for Obuasi, Mr. Joseph Boampong, were clearly missing from the list of contestants as at 6 pm last Friday, even though the three personalities declared their intentions to vie for the position.
The absence of the three personalities in the final list meant that the battle was a straight fight between the incumbent chairman, Mr. Robert Yaw Amankwaah and the former two time chairman of the party, Mr. Frederick Fredua Antoh, who is seeking a comeback.
Media war and verbal fisticuffs have already started between the two competitors in their bid to defend their candidatures and establish themselves as ideal candidates for the position.
While Mr. F. F. Antoh is counting on his past records as the chairman who led the NPP to power in 2000 and 2004 elections, the incumbent chairman, Mr. Yaw Amankwaah has used every platform offered him to tout his record as the only chairman who single handedly held the NPP to survive the first round of the 2008 elections, after the party performed relatively poor in the rest of the regions.
The incumbent chairman has described the contest as 'Holyfield vs. Tyson' fight and has vowed to beat his competitor, holding as trump card, his tremendous contribution to the party within the past four years of his administration. But Mr. Yaw Amnakwaah has the “people's man”, Mr. Antoh, who initially contemplated going unopposed, to beat.
Another most exciting competition is expected to be the Regional Secretary position which is being contested by three academic gurus, including the Special Assistant to the former Minister of Finance and MP for Old Tafo, Mr. J.K Owusu Boakye, the incumbent Secretary, Mr. Samuel Cudjoe and a member of the Research Committee of the party, Mr. Sam Pyne.
Mr. Owusu Boakye, popularly known as Abito, has told the paper in an interview that the party needs a strategist, and not merely a Secretary to provide strategic and tactical advice to the Regional chairman and the executives, and that is exactly what he would be providing for the party when elected.
Mr. Sam Pyne, who is also an Assembly member and a Senior High School teacher, has expressed optimism about his chances of winning the position come December 30, counting on his unflinching and unalloyed dedication to the party both in government and in opposition. But the incumbent Secretary, Sam Cudjoe, is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to secure the position for the third consecutive time.
The Regional Organizer position would be a straight fight between the incumbent Alhaji Abdallah and Kennedy Kankam, the current regional Youth Organizer, who is seeking an elevation.
The Regional Youth Organizer position is also expected to be an enthusiastic contest between two TESCON executives and a Staff at the Regional House of Chiefs, Messrs. Gideon Buako, Adjei Frimpong and Agyenim Boateng.
The regional Women's Organizer would be fought between the incumbent Mrs. Mary Brobbey and one Alberta Owusu Ansah.
At the time of filing this report, information was that the party had appointed a Vetting committee made of the founding member and Regional Chairman of the Council of Elders, Nana Appiah Menkah, the MP for Old Tafo, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, Nana Wiafe Ababio, the former CEO of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company and three others who are expected to scrutinize all the candidates.