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The retention of almost all the regional chairmen of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the just-ended regional executive elections “will not be an advantage” for the two leading flagbearer hopefuls of the Party – Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and Mr Alan Kyeremanten.

Dr Kobby Mensah, a Political Marketing Strategist, argued that the incumbent regional chairmen could not influence the decision of delegates, adding that a number of factors would inform their decision to choose a particular candidate.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Mensah said the two leading contenders in the flagbearer race should focus on convincing the delegates on their electability and not the chairmen.

“I don’t think that the Party chairmanship position will be an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate. The critical number of people who seem to align with a particular candidate is much more effective than just the Party Chairman,” he said.

Dr Mensah added that: “It would be inappropriate for us to suggest that a number of incumbent chairmen have actually been retained could mean that it is in favour of a candidate. You would rather want to look at an expansive point of conversation to be able to gauge how it would go.”

The NPP held its regional executive elections over the weekend in 15 out of the 16 regions in the country.

The election in the Central Region, which was slated for Friday, May 27, 2022, has been suspended until further notice due to a Court action.

Apart from the Western North Region where the incumbent Regional Chairman, William Benjamin Assuah, lost to Benjamin Armah, all the regional chairmen in the 14 other regions retained their seats.

Some political commentators had suggested that the retention of a majority of regional chairmen was in favour of Dr Bawumia as they made up “the winning team” that retained victory for the NPP in the 2020 general election.

Dr Mensah, however, described those suggestions as “inappropriate” and urged the leadership of the Party to take steps to correct such impressions.

He said the expectation that the success of a particular candidate at the base could favour another candidate at the national level could suggest that the internal party process “is not transparent” and could fuel disunity in the Party.

“That is why people clamour to have their own people in positions, and that speaks to the Party’s own flaw.
“...if people are not confident in the rules of engagement, they rather would want to have their own people so that they can be sure of their own positions,” he said.

Barring any change in schedule, the NPP will hold its National Executive Elections in Accra from July 15 to July 17, 2022, to elect officers to run the affairs of the Party in the next four years.

Per the Party’s constitution, the presidential candidate for the Party in the 2024 elections will be elected next year – a year to the general election.