The Director of Elections of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has dismissed any concern that the titanic contest for the party’s chairmanship position can cause a rift within the party.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Ankrah said healthy competition is the lifeblood of any democracy hence a contest is actually good for the party,
He added that as long as the polls are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, all contestants would have to accept the results as simply the will of the people.
Ankrah also touched on some claims that certain positions should not be challenged and rubbished them, saying all positions in the party are open for contests.
“I don’t think there will be any friction. Our Party is a democratic Party and so people are free to contest, and whoever wins we move on…People held various positions in the past and people contested and won. So no position is sacrosanct,” Mr Ankrah said.
He added: “If the processes are fair and transparent, and the structure and systems put in place are such that everybody can see that there was a level playing field, it makes it easier for people to deal with the aftermath.”
His comments come after the longtime General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia popularly known as General Mosquito, announced his intention to contest for the Chairmanship slot.
Current National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has called for him to be retained because the party needs unity ahead of the upcoming election whilst Nketia insists that a change is needed.
He has also pushed back against people such as former National Organiser Yaw Boateng Gyan saying a challenge to Ofosu Ampofo can divide the party.
According to Nketia, no position is the preserve of any person in the party and he personally has always been challenged in his position as General Secretary hence he can also decide to challenge for other positions.
Meanwhile, the NDC will hold its constituency elections between October 22 and 23, 2022, while the regional elections would be held between November 12 and 13, 2022.
The National Congress will be held on December 17, 2022.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com