With barely a week to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) polls across the 16 regions to elect regional executives , a total of 78 candidates are poised to contest the elections in the Western and the Upper East Regions.
The regional elections are scheduled to take place from Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13, 2022 across the country with the Regional Youth and Women Conferences taking place on Friday.
In the Western Region there are 42 candidates while in the Upper East region 36 aspirants are to slug it out for the various positions with some going unopposed and others having to contend with opponents for their positions.
The positions up for grabs are the regional chairman and vice, secretary and deputy secretary, organiser and deputy organiser, treasurer and deputy treasurer.
The others are communication officer and deputy, woman organiser and deputy, the Zongo caucus, youth organiser and deputy.
Western Region
Those who are contesting unopposed in the Western Region are the treasurer, Daniel Darlington Atitso; the communication officer, Richard Kirk-Mensah, and his deputy, Ebenezer Essien.
Hot contest
The incumbent Western Regional Chairman, Nana Kojo Toku, is being challenged by Alhaji Gibrilu Laminn.
Those contesting for the regional vice-chairman position are a former District Chief Executive of Ellembelle, Daniel K. Eshun, Samuel Borlu and Charlotte Otuwa Odum.
Three others are contesting the incumbent regional secretary, Joe Nelson. They are a former parliamentary candidate for Effia, Michael Otoo, a former district chief executive of Shama, Enoch S. Appiah and a member of the party, Mawutor Kofi Senoo.
The Incumbent regional secretary, Mr Nelson, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, urged members and candidates to go about their campaign in a manner that after the elections “the NDC family will remain united to wrest power from the ruling party”.
Upper East
In the Upper East Region, there would not be any contest for the chairman, deputy secretary, organiser, treasurer, deputy treasurer positions as the incumbents are going unopposed.
The incumbent regional chairman, Alhaji Abdulai Mumuni Bolnaba, who has been the chairman since 2005, is going unopposed.
The secretary, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, who has held the position for 24 years, is facing stiff competition from Anyagri Thomas Abiola while the incumbent vice-chairmen Abubakari Atongo Salifu and Akanyele N. Williams are being challenged by four other party stalwarts who are bent on taking over their positions. The other contenders are Martin Adawe Azupwah, Gariba Bawa Adams, Issaha Haruna and Akasoba Clement Anabire.
For the position of women organiser, the incumbent, Rahinatu I. Haruna, who is seeking a second term, would battle it out with Fawziatu Quidad Yakubu for the position while the incumbent youth organiser, Abraham Azumah Lambon, is being contested by Amoliga David and Awuni A. Ben.
All the aspirants are criss-crossing all the 15 constituencies in the region to meet and sell their vision to the delegates expected to vote in the elections.
Target
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Alhaji Bolnaba said after the elections, the new executives would come together and come up with strategies that would enable the party to sweep all the parliamentary seats and win the presidential votes by 80 per cent.
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