Drama In NPP Race

As at yesterday, 14 people had filed their papers for various positions, with some aspirants also engaging in horse trading. The filing of nominations closes on Monday. An aspiring National Organiser, Mahama Mahmoud, threw his weight behind John Buadu in the latest horse trading after some aspirants for the Youth Organiser position also stepped down, pledging their support for Sammi Awuku. Filing his papers yesterday, Stephen Ntim, who is contesting the position of National Chairman for the third time in a row, promised to lead the NPP to victory come 2016 when the country goes to the polls to elect a president. �I have been having sleepless nights since the party went into opposition in 2008. I am not happy, that is why I want the chair of the party in order to rescue it from the two-term opposition,� he told his teeming supporters who followed him to the party headquarters. Mr Ntim said �there is no room for experimentation,� adding that �we need qualified people to take up positions to bring back the party from opposition.� He therefore asked those using money as a tool to influence delegates to make way for people with ideas to lead the party because �the party is not for sale, so it is definitely not for the highest bidder and NPP wants people who are genuinely committed in rescuing it from the two-term opposition.� So far, Mr. Ntim said, he had toured six out of the 10 regions, namely Greater Accra, Western, Eastern, Central, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo, expecting to tour the remaining four after vetting. He said all the delegates in the party across the country were yearning for him to take up the position to steer the affairs of the party to victory. New Twist Earlier, former Deputy Communications Director, John Boadu, who is contesting the position of National Organiser, came to the party headquarters to file his nomination with a simple message of marshalling forces to unseat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when elected, with a campaign slogan �organisation decides it all�. Even before he could file, fellow contender for the position, Mahama Mahmoud stepped down to support his bid, promising to ensure that John wins the upcoming contest. With Mahmoud throwing his weight behind him, John was optimistic that the rest of his colleagues would do same in the larger interest of the party. �With the calibre of intellectuals that we have, with the calibre of experienced people that we have, with the caliber of a person that the New Patriotic Party is going to choose as flagbearer of this party, if victory becomes ours, Insha Allah, the good policies of the NPP is going to come back,� he assured. Hope He said �the good people of this country are ready to listen to us favourably and return us back to power to deliver the social intervention programmes that we delivered for this country�. This, he said, was because �we are in a situation in this country where if we are not careful, we�ll sell our children, we�ll sell ourselves and sell everything.� Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah, who is contesting the position of National Treasurer, was also at the headquarters to file his nomination, saying, �We�ve gotten to a stage in the party�s development where we need somebody who can assist to mobilise the needed resources for victory.� He therefore asked the delegates to look to no other person than his good self for that position to help generate the needed resources for the NPP at all levels of the party. On her part, Tina Mensah, who is running for the position of National Women�s Organiser, touted her credentials of having served at various levels of the party. She was therefore optimistic about her chances of winning the position in view of the confidence reposed in her in the course of her campaign. Popular NPP activist, Hajia Fati Amadu, popularly known as Aliga, also managed to file her nomination for theVice Chairmanship of theparty, with the hope to winningthe slot.