Voting is underway today at the Kumasi Jubilee Park for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti Regional Executive Elections, with 1,020 delegates expected to elect the region’s new leadership.
A total of 34 aspirants are contesting 11 executive positions in what is shaping up to be a keenly contested internal election.
The polls are being closely watched as a crucial test of the NPP’s strength and unity in the Ashanti Region, the party’s traditional electoral stronghold.
The newly elected executives will be expected to rebuild the party’s grassroots structures, strengthen internal cohesion, re-energise the party base and position the NPP for a strong comeback in the next general elections.
The main attraction of the election is the Regional Chairmanship contest, which has developed into a fierce battle between Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, and Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, former Member of Parliament for Bantama and former Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Both contenders have extensive political experience and strong support networks within the party, making the chairmanship race one of the most closely watched contests of the day.
The Kumasi Jubilee Park has been adorned with campaign banners and posters of the various aspirants, while party supporters and delegates have gathered at the venue as the voting process gets underway.
The Electoral Commission, Ghana Police Service and the NPP Election Committee have indicated their readiness for the exercise, with assurances that adequate measures are in place to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible election.
The outcome of today’s election is expected to determine the direction of the NPP’s administration and grassroots mobilisation in the Ashanti Region ahead of the party’s preparations for the next general elections.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com
