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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Saturday goes to the polls to elect its regional officers. All looks set for the elections, which appear to have divided the party faithful between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mr Alan Kyerematen camps. Initially, there were suggestions that Nana Akufo-Addo should be elected unopposed to lead the party in the 2016 general election but the idea was shot down by the National Executive Council (NEC), which decided that opportunity should be given to all those who were interested in the flag-bearer position to contest. The division in the party along the two divides is not limited to contestants in the race for regional positions but also among some leading members of the party. Different opinions Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, a party stalwart and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, is reported to have warned that he would deal with anybody or groups in the NPP which tried to use the names of Nana Akufo-Addo and Mr Kyerematen to run their campaigns. Mr P.C. Appiah-Ofori, another former MP of the party, on the other hand, had warned that he would resign from the party if Nana Akufo-Addo was not re-elected to lead the party in the 2016 elections. Even as the party goes to the polls to elect regional and national officers, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, the MP for Assin Central, has accused the current leadership of the party of being corrupt and that they should be booted out if the party is to make any headway in future elections. State of the party Notwithstanding these apparent divisions in the party, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the National Chairman of the NPP, said all was well with the party and explained that as a party, it was likely that people would have their preferences and, therefore, vote along those lines. Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said party members were only supporting their preferred candidates but did not have anything against one another. He said that was typical of any human institution when there was competition, as people would definitely support one contestant against another. �In such situations, people will always see it as a division but it may not necessarily be so,� he added. He explained that that was exactly what was happening in the NPP and that it did not depict division in any way. Preparations for elections Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said all preparations for Saturday�s regional executive elections were on course. �The vetting has been completed and everything is now in the hands of the regions,� he said. He said reports the national office was receiving from the regions indicated that everything was moving well and, therefore, �we are hopeful there will be peaceful elections on Saturday�. He encouraged voters to strive to get to the polling centres on time, cast their votes and allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to do its work without any interference. �This is not a do-or-die affair; it is only a simple internal competition,� he added. Internal wrangling In an interview on the internal wrangling, the Director of Elections of the party, Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, said considering the huge number of supporters and party loyalists, �you cannot rule out disagreement; you cannot rule out bickering; you cannot downplay the fact that people will have varied interests and push them. Somebody may look at that as bad phenomenon but I disagree�. He contended that if the internal elections did not generate such heat, �then where lies the spirit of our party?� Mr Korsah said there could never be any serious democracy without disagreements, stressing that what was important was how they were managed. Positions being contested The positions being contested at the regional level are Chairman; First Vice Chairman; Second Vice Chairman; Secretary; Assistant Secretary; Organiser; Nasara Co-ordinator; Treasurer; Women's Organiser and Youth Organiser. The elections On how prepared the party was for Saturday�s elections, he said it was about 98 per cent through with the processes. �We have finished printing ballot papers and the EC is in the process of distributing these logistics to the various regional centres where the elections will take place,� he said. He said the party had also completed the issue of accreditation for the media, security and the delegates who would be attending. About 5,000 delegates will cast their votes at 10 voting centres all over the country for 267 candidates vying for various regional positions. No candidate has been disqualified. Voting starts at exactly 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Electoral college The delegates� list for each region includes MPs in that region, constituency executive committee members, 10 patrons from the region, 10 members of the regional Council of Elders, every tertiary institution with a TESCON branch will be represented by one member, 35 National Council members and the living founding fathers who were present at the time the party was being registered and its documents being filed at the EC. Proxy votes will also be accepted. One hundred officers will be elected on Saturday in all the 10 regions. Other executives will be appointed as deputies to complement the elected officers in a special and strategic way to prosecute the party�s political agenda. From the Regions From the Volta Region, Tim Dzamboe reports from Ho that contestants vetted for executive positions in the regional elections were battle ready, as 330 delegates meet at the auditorium of the Ho Polytechnic on Saturday. The 35 individuals seeking election have almost completed constituency tours to campaign to enable them to win the votes of the delegates. Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports from Kumasi that the race for the regional chairmanship is the hottest and that it is a straight fight between the young former Chairman for the Bosomtwe Constituency and party philanthropist, Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako, better known as Chairman Wontumi, and the four-time MP for Nsuta-Kwamang-Beposo and former Deputy Attorney-General, Kwame Osei Prempeh. While Chairman Wontumi, a businessman, is using his wealth to woo party delegates to get voted into power, his politically experienced opponent is counting on his experience as a former law maker and politician to win the race. Twenty-nine contestants, including four females, are vying for the 10 positions in the Upper West Region, reports Emmanuel Modey. According to Mr Tony Tamah Abu Ibrahim, the Secretary of the Upper West Regional Electoral Committee, all the groundwork had been completed, including the opening and closing of nominations and vetting as laid down under the rules and regulations governing elections in the NPP. He said no petition or injunction had been brought against any of the candidates to be elected by the 255 delegates from the 11 constituencies in the region. Mr Ibrahim called on the delegates to vote for the best candidates who would be able to lead the party to wrest power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016. From Koforidua, A. Kofoya-Tetteh reports that all was now set for the election of officers for the Eastern Region, slated for the Bedtime Hotel, Koforidua. Twenty-four out of the 25 contestants, including two women, who filed their nomination papers had been cleared by the Regional Election Committee. The only person who pulled out was Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, the immediate past regional chairman, who withdrew voluntarily. At the moment the candidates are in the constituencies canvassing for votes in a friendly manner devoid of acrimony, as directed by the Chairman of the Regional Election Committee, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, a Cabinet minister in the Kufuor administration.