Posted: The Chronicle |Tuesday, February 23, 2010
By Charles Takyi - Boadu
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and national chairman aspirant, Steve Ayensu Ntim, has expressed concern about the way the National Democratic Congres (NDC) was making inroads in the Brong Ahafo Region, which is considered the stronghold of the party.
Speaking a press briefing in Accra yesterday to round up his nationwide campaign, Mr. Ntim, who has an insight into the region where he hails from, noted that though the NPP makes heavy claims that the region was one of its strongholds, eight out of the 12 constituencies in the northern part of the region are occupied by the NDC.
He named the constituencies as Jaman North, Tain, Wenchi, Techiman North and South, Kintampo North and South, Nkoranza North and South, Pru, Sene, and Atebubu.
Mr. Ntim considered the situation a gradual desertification of the northern part of the region by the ruling party, since according to him, “politically, Brong Ahafo is being turned into a desert by the NDC for the NPP.”
For this reason, he said, “if we are not careful, if we don’t take strategic measures, what will happen is that the NDC will eventually take over the region.”
Once the NDC has been able to achieve this, Steve Ntim believes they would focus their attention on the Ashanti Region, which is the lifeline of the NPP. “If this happens, NPP must forget about winning power in this country.”
He therefore advocated for what he described as ‘political tree planting’ to plant trees along the northern part of the Brong Ahafo Region to turn the area into a ‘political forest’ for the NPP.
Mr. Ntim believes the election of Asiedu Nketiah, Yaw Boateng Gyan, and Mrs. Adoma, as General Secretary, National Organiser and Deputy National Women Organiser respectively, who are all from the region, and other influential members of the party, could lead to a virtual political desertification of the region.
For this reason, Mr. Ntim said, “if as a party, we decide not to select some of our big shots from Brong Ahafo Region, then we risk falling into the trap that has been set.”
His only prayer is for the Almighty to help him deliver his party and Ghanaians from the hands and mercy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
According to him, whenever he goes on his knees to pray, the only thing he asks God is for him to “deny me the chairmanship, if he knows that I cannot, for any reason, take the party to power in 2012.”
This, according to him, was because he was not interested in becoming the party’s chairman for the mere sake of it, but wants to become who “with the help of the Almighty God will lead the party to power in 2012.”
The aspirant stressed the need for the NPP, as a party, to put its house in order, to ensure a resounding victory over the NDC in 2012.
He also urged delegates who would have the opportunity to vote in Saturday’s national conference, to give him the mandate to lead the party to victory.