Delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Greater Accra Region are preparing feverishly to elect officers to steer the affairs of the party in the region in the next four years – an election characterised by uncertainties.
The elections will take place at the International Trade Fair Centre at La in Accra on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Considered a swing region whose vote pattern had often determined the destinies of national presidential elections, the Greater Accra region is among the “must watch” regions as the ruling NPP elects regional officers this weekend.
With about two years to election 2024, the Greater Accra Region is also crucial for the NPP after the Party lost some seven parliamentary seats in the 2020 general elections.
A total of 34 aspirants are vying for various positions – Chairman, 1st Vice Chairman, 2nd Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Organiser, Women Organiser, Treasurer, Nasara Coordinator, and Youth Organiser.
A total of 665 voters, comprising 561 delegates, 10 Council of Elders, 10 Council of Patrons, 1 Founding Member, and 52 TESCON Members, will decide the fate of the 34 aspirants on Saturday.
The Chairmanship position, which is being keenly contested, is a two-horse race between the incumbent, Divine Otoo Agorhom, and Alfred Tiase Boye, a former Acting Greater Accra Regional Chairman.
Mr Boye will be seeking for redemption after losing to Mr Agorhom, a three-time Parliamentary candidate for the Sege Constituency and a former 1st Vice Chairman of Greater Accra Region, in the 2016 regional contest.
In the last regional contest, Mr Agorhom beat Mr Boye by 7 votes, polling 276 votes against his contender, who polled 269 votes.
Whereas the incumbent is seeking to cement his feet and reclaim the seats the Party lost in the 2020 elections, his contender is offering himself as the man to rewrite the script and return the Party to winning ways in the next general elections.
In the General Secretary race, Daniel Parker Odarlai France, the incumbent, faces stiff competition from Emmanuel Korkwei Clottey, and Solomon Assante, who have vowed to give the incumbent a good run for his money.
Four women will battle it out in the Women Organizer contest. The incumbent, Grace Acheampong is being challenged by Leticia Toshie Torto, Felicia Edem Attipoe, and Naana Eyeson.
The Treasurer position is also an all-women affair. The incumbent, Rachael A.S. Tutu is seeking to beat Francisca Ayorkor Boateng Amponsah to retain her position.
In the 2022 general elections, the NPP garnered 1,253,179 votes in Greater Accra region, against 1,062,152 votes recorded in 2016.
The Party however saw its parliamentary seats reduced from 21 in 2016 to 14 in 2020.
Source: GNA
