Between Saturday, April 12 and early Sunday morning, Ghanaians in general and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in particular will know who will be the new National Chairman of the party.
First on the ballot is the incumbent, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, who has had to deal with the number of allegations regarding distribution of some logistics towards the 2012 elections. A committee set up by the party has cleared him but there are indications that the decision of the more than 5,000 delegates might be influenced a bit by what he says in his address to the delegates. He has a mountain to climb.
Mr. Stephen Ntim, second on the ballot, will be making his third attempt to become the National Chairman. Visitors to some NPP offices across the country will see furniture or television sets or fridges with the inscription �donated by Stephen Ntim�. He will be hoping to benefit from one of the NPP�s popular mantra � Ye Nim Wo Fi Tete (we have known you for a long time). But will that be enough?
The new NPP National Chairman position is expected to be a straight battle between Mr. Paul Afoko and the incumbent National First Vice Chairman, Mr. Fred Oware.
Mr. Afoko is third on the ballot and has two advantages. One is that apart from his experience in the party, he is from one of the three northern regions. Quite a number of leading members of the national executive position will be those from the Ashanti and Eastern regions. Having someone from one of the three northern regions or Central/Western regions will help fight that perception.
Mr. Oware, from the Central Region, also benefits from the regionalism advantages Mr. Afoko has. His former position as a First National Vice Chairman will be another benchmark the delegates would use in judging him.
Who will it be?
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