Ntim joins NPP chairmanship race

…With renewed spirit of unity
Posted: The Chronicle |Thursday, January 07, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

A former Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ayensu Ntim has indicated his preparedness to contest for the National Chairmanship position in the upcoming National Delegates conference of the party.
He is going into the race with a renewed spirit of commitment to help unite the party and bring it back to power in the year 2012, when President Mills and his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) 4year mandate comes to an end.

After filing his nomination papers at the party’s Asylum Down headquarters in Accra, Mr. Ntim told reporters that he is going into the race with a renewed sense of unity and purpose. For this reason, he has asked all members of the party to throw their weight behind him in bringing the party together to wrestle power from the NDC in the next elections.

“I want to ensure that unity prevails before we go to congress to elect our flagbearer defying any factionalism”, he said, stressing on the fact that “I will maintain my neutrality.” Asked how he intends to help the party come to power, Mr. Ntim who used to be the party’s Vice Chairman said “I have chewed calabash before so if I tell you I want to chew crab, you must believe me.”

During his time as the Vice Chairman, Mr. Ntim said they managed to add 27 Parliamentary seats to those occupied by the NPP and, therefore, banking his hopes on his achievements and significant contributions to the party to win the upcoming Chairmanship race.

Though the names of other party stalwarts including Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Sammy Crabbe and a host of others have come up as likely contenders for the Chairmanship position of the NPP, Mr. Ntim said, he was not the least bothered since the upcoming elections is not merely about high profile names.

Instead, he said it has to do with an individual’s achievements and contributions to the party and how he or she can help win power from the party from the incumbent NDC in 2012. He therefore expressed hope and optimism that he would come up tops among his equals in the impending elections, which has all to do with credentials. “My mission is to bring back the party to power and I will do this by uniting the seeming factionalism in the party in order to win power. This I promise to do”, he said.

When elected to the position of National Chairman, Mr. Ntim promised to make the party’s Constitution operate freely without any form of interference or discrimination against any individual or group of persons since it breeds disunity in the party.

Administrative Officer at the party headquarters, Mr. Antwi Adjei, who received the aspirant’s nomination papers together with an amount of GHC 5,000.00 as the filing fee and other relevant documents required by the party’s Constitution.

Mills` boys ready to battle Rawlings

…As Danny Anang launches Vice Chairmanship bid today
Posted: The Chronicle |Thursday, January 07, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu & Bismark Bebli

REPORTS REACHING The Chronicle indicate that there is an uneasy calm in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the continuous and deliberate attempt by former President Rawlings and his aides to field candidates against those perceived to be having links with the Castle and President Mills.
Credible sources at the party headquarters have told the paper that the top brass of the party who witnessed the open campaign by the likes of E.T Mensah and Afotey Agbo against Mr. Danny Anang, the former Greater Accra regional chairman, in the full glare of the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, at the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian hall last week have expressed worry at the turn of events.

The covert and overt action of the aforementioned individuals against Danny, who worked tirelessly for the victory of the party in the 2008 general elections to the advantage of Mr. Ade Coker, now Regional chairman, has sent shivers to most of those contesting for various positions in the party, and has compelled most of them to call for fair play.

Some leading members of the party have vowed to block schemes being employed, by especially the former President and his agents, to undo capable people in the party.

Meanwhile, party kingpins have advised Mr. Danny Annang, whose exploits in the NDC has earned him the nickname -”Champion Chairman”, to contest for the position of National Vice Chairman.

He is set to launch his campaign for the Vice Chairmanship position at the Kama Conference centre in Accra today.

According to him, his dream is to help galvanize more votes for the party towards the 2012 general elections. “Whether Ade Coker was supported by the former family or not, once he is a party man, I believe together we can work for the NDC. My dream is to propel the party for victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, some delegates who were lured into voting for Mr. Ade Coker with enticing baits, have vowed to this time endorse Danny in the upcoming national congress scheduled to be held in Tamale on January 15 2010.

Ugly scenes at NDC congress

...Amidst vote-buying
Posted: The Chronicle | Tuesday, January 05, 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The recently held Greater Accra Regional Delegates Conference of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) witnessed serious issues of vote-buying and underhand dealings, which undermined the integrity of the election in one way or the other.
This was when certain candidates and their agents tried to twist the rules of the game in their favour. As the election was underway, generating a lot of interest and enthusiasm among supporters of the two main contestants, Ade Coker and Danny Anang, who were running for the Chairmanship position, money started exchanging hands.

In the heat of events, agents and close associates of one of the contestants, were seen doling out GH¢200 to some of the delegates, in the full glare of party executives who were seated on the high table.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Mr. E. T. Mensah, and the MP for Sege, Mr. Alfred Abayateye, all in the Rawlings camp, were openly campaigning for Ade Coker.

The paper also chanced on a damning document, which was being circulated by some of the party supporters as a smear campaign against Danny Anang. In the said documents, copies of which are in the possession of The Chronicle, one William Jackson Mensah, who claims to be a Ghanaian businessman living in Austria, was alleged to have sent a whopping amount of 120,000 Euros through the Western Union Money Transfer to Danny Anang, who until the regional conference, was the incumbent Chairman of the party in the region, to help run the party’s campaign.

However, a close look at the documents gives much room for suspicion and doubt, since it appears to be intended for mischief. Some of the dates for the receipts of the said money, date back as far as 1990, 1992, 1998 and the year 2000, when the party had not been formed.

As these documents and money were flying all over the place, the voting was still ongoing.

These and other mischievous and last minute underhand dealings have cast a slur on the integrity of the elections.