There was a near ‘tsunami’ in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at dawn Sunday in Tamale when the national delegates conference decided to clear all the old executive members except one.
Mr Paul Afoko, a businessman, won the national chairman position by 2,032, shruging off the challenge from the incumbent and two others.
The incumbent National Chairman, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, performed abysmally, to the surprise of many obtaining only 66 out of the 4733 valid votes cast. Mr Stephen Ntim, one of the favourites, polled 1,500 votes, while the incumbent First National Vice Chairman, Mr Fred Oware, had 1,135.
Some pundits have said that the clean sweep of the former executive by the new faces is an indication that the Alan faction has taken control of the NPP, although it is early days yet, as some other executive members are believed to lean towards the Nana Akufo-Addo faction.
Some die-hard party supporters have already dismissed this assertion, citing the victory speech of Mr Afoko to indicate he would not work for any faction but the interest of the party.
He said among other things that NPP supporters should prepare for government in 2016, as he was going to rally them for victory in the next general election.
Mr Afoko, whose entry into the race till the election had been characterised by controversies on his person, polled 2,034 votes.
The generally peaceful elections were supervised by officials of the Electoral Commission (EC), led by a Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Amadu Sulley.
The magnificent Tamale Sports Stadium played host to the 16th extraordinary annual national delegates conference and election of national officers of the NPP.
The only incumbent national executive member who was able to maintain her position was the National Women’s Organiser, Madam Afisa Otiko Djaba. She defeated her two other contestants with 276 votes. Ms Tina Mensah came second with 250 votes to be followed by Ms Mawusi N. Awity with 113 votes.
Held on the theme: “Our Roots, Our Strength, Our Future”, the conference was also in memory of the late Vice-President Aliu Mahama.
It also marked the anniversary of the formation of the antecedent of the NPP, the Northern People’s Party (NPP) 60 years ago.
The acid-tongued incumbent General Secretary, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, was shown the exit by a former Spokesperson of President J.A. Kufuor, Mr Kwabena Agyapong.
Mr Agyapong, who went to the conference grounds with his left arm in a sling as a result of a motor accident he was recently involved in, obtained 2,529 votes, while Sir John received 1,990.
The two other contestants — Mr Yaw Buabeng Asamoah and Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (retd) — polled 181 and 46 votes, respectively.
The Publisher of the Daily Guide newspaper and former Member of Parliament for Ellembelle on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Freddie Blay, pulled a surprised when he placed first in the vice-chairman race with 2,933 votes to become the First Vice-Chairman.
The Second Vice-Chairman position went to Mr Sammy Crabbe, who was once the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party. He had 2,358, while the Third Vice-Chairman position was secured by Mr F. F. Antoh, a former Ashanti Regional Chairman.
There were 11 contestants for the vice chairmanship.
The incumbent National Organiser, Alhaji Muktar Bamba, lost his position to a former National Youth Organiser, Mr John Buadu. Mr Boadu had a whopping 3,279 of the votes cast, while Mr Bamba had 476.
The third contestant, Mr Hopeson Adorye, managed to get 986 votes.
Another incumbent who lost her position was the National Treasurer, Madam Esther Ofori, who was beaten by Mr Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah. Mr Yeboah had 2,488 votes, while Madam Ofori received 503 votes.
The other contestants for the National Treasurer position, Madam Ahmed Saida Ruka and Ms Susan Mensah, had 1,062 and 595 votes, respectively.
Mr Sammy Awuku was elected as the new National Youth Organiser with 471 votes. He beat six other contestants.
The only female in the youth organiser race, Ms Gifty Oware-Aboagye, managed only seven of the votes. The others were Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, 115; Richard Nyamar, 19; Emmanuel Attafuah, 28; Charles Adu Gyan, six, while Mr Michael Ampong, who was contesting for the third time, had nine votes.
Another incumbent who suffered a casualty was the National Nasara Coordinator, Mr Abubakar Suleman, also known as Lekuku. He had 57 votes. The new National Nasara Coordinator is Mr Saihu Yahaya Bo, who had 539 votes.
There were six other candidates.
The counting of votes, amidst threats of rain and lightning, was witnessed by less than a quarter of the delegates. Majority of them had left the stadium, either for their places of abode or to begin their journey back to their various destinations.
Under the supervision of COP Kudalor, personnel from the Ghana Police Service, supported by some soldiers, provided adequate security for the cumbersome and time-consuming voting and counting of the ballots, which took over 10 hours.
Acceptance
In his acceptance speech, Mr Afoko told party members that the delegates had made their choice and put together a formidable team that would provide the needed leadership for the party to reclaim power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, the delegates were the kingmakers who had entrusted in the hands of the new executive the mandate to ensure that the party regained political power.
He appealed to the delegates and the entire membership of the party to put the conference behind them and, through unity, determination and hard work, “go home and prepare for government”.
Other candidates
Speaking for the other losing candidates, Mr Ntim said, “Once again Ntim has lost but the party has won.”
He noted that the delegates must be commended for the successful election and pledged to support the team that had been elected, without any hitch or violence, to secure victory for the party in the 2016 elections.
