Portuphy Stakes Claim To NDC Chairmanship Slot

The National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Kofi Portuphy, is the second person to launch his campaign to contest the chairmanship position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Mr Dan Abodakpi was the first to publicly announce his decision to contest the position when it is declared vacant at the next national delegates congress scheduled for late October this year. Dr Kwabena Adjei, who is the current National Chairman of the party, is expected to seek re-election. At the colourful launch in Accra yesterday, Mr Portuphy declared, �with my chairmanship, the party will recapture its rightful place and honour as the political party that sprang out of the people and a party for Ghanaians from all walks of lives.� He said the mission of every political party was to win elections and pledged to work hard if given the opportunity to build strong internal political structures that would help the NDC to fulfil its mission of capturing and retaining power. Thematic pillars Mr Portuphy said his campaign would be based on four thematic areas of unity, teamwork, accessibility and electoral victory. He said his priority would be to unite all the different interests in the party into one purposeful venture to win power in 2016. He stated that as a unifier, he would have it as his task to channel his energy into dissolving potential tensions within the party and extend a hand to all whose interest in the party had waned. According to Mr Portuphy, he will also restore the confidence of party workers and cadres and build a vanguard of young party enthusiasts. Key challenge In his view, accessibility, not only to information but in terms of party members having access to the leadership of the NDC, was a major challenge. He strssed that the lack of access to information and leadership of the party nearly ruined the confidence of the rank and file in the leadership. He said that had not only created suspicion but heightened suspicion among the people and so when elected chairman, he would endeavour to make himself available to everybody in the party. Assurance He assured the party faithful that he would endeavour to strengthen the electoral mechanisms and structures that the party had collectively developed because the forward march to 2016 would be all hands on deck. Mr Portuphy called on former chief executives, former ministers and ambassadors to respond to the drive towards total electoral victory for the NDC party. The chairman for the occasion, Vonaa M.B Bawa, said Mr Portuphy deserved to be handed the mantle because the aspirant possessed unparalleled strength, fortitude and love for the citizenry, and as such could help run the affairs of the party and help in the socio-economic development of the country. �Over the years that I have known Kofi, he has been very amiable yet assertive. He has respect for all, irrespective of age. He has been in the trenches and has suffered persecution for his ideas, yet he remais resolute and unshakeable,� the chairman declared The campaign launch attracted a number of dignitaries and the rank and file of the NDC, which nearly brought traffic to a standstill at the Nima Roundabout as the crowd kept pouring into the Frankies Hotel, where the ceremony took place.