Former President John Mahama has urged the newly elected regional executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to rally all members of the party to enable it to win the 2020 general election.
While congratulating the new executives on Sunday, Mahama said their election should mark the beginning of hard work to ensure unity ahead of 2020 polls.
“The real work has just begun and we must all put our shoulders to the wheel going forward,” Mahama said in a statement on Facebook.
Before the elections, he stressed the need for unity among the executives saying that there would be no winners or losers at the end of the polls.
“With our goal firmly fixed on victory in the 2020 elections, the NDC can only be better off if we come out of these elections across the ten regions united,” he said.
Read his statement below
I have spoken to our newly elected Regional Chairmen and asked them to pass on my congratulatory wishes to all who won positions in the Regional Executive elections.
I have also called and expressed my personal message of encouragement to many of the candidates who were not successful in the elections.
As I have always said, there are no losers in this contest. Our great party, the NDC, is the winner. It is time for the new executives to reach out and bring every one on board for victory in election 2020.
The real work has just begun and we must all put our shoulders to the wheel going forward.
I look forward to meeting you all when I begin visiting the constituencies and regions in the coming weeks.
With the election of the regional executives done, the NDC will by December 7, 2018, elect national executives and a flagbearer.
John Mahama, the incumbent president who led the NDC into its election loss in 2016, is hoping beat 10 other aspirants to lead the party again into the 2020 polls to snatch power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Winners and losers
At the end of the polls on Sunday, delegates in the Eastern Region showed the incumbent Chairman Bismark Otafrigya Tawiah Boateng the exit after electing his opponent John Owusu Amankra popular known as Jowark to lead the party in the region for the next four years.
Chairman Otafrigya as he is affectionately called polled 281 of the votes, while John Owusu Amankra had 375 with a third candidate Basil Ahiable also polling 249 of the total 905 votes.
In the Northern Region, Chief of Tugu-Yapala in the Dagbon Traditional Area, Alhaji Ibrahim Mobila, was elected as the Regional Chairman.
The 80 year old commercial farmer beat his main contender, Godfred A. Wumbei, the outgoing regional Organizer by 96 votes.
Former Central Regional Minister, Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, could not win the chairmanship position of the party in the Central Region.
He was only able to get 157 votes placing third to Ebenezer Kwodwo Teye Addo who emerged as the chairman-elect with 256 votes.
In the Volta Region, former Transport Minister Dzifa Attivor, failed to get the maximum number of votes to defeat incumbent Chairman in the region, Gyapong Kudjo.
She was able to garner 371 votes while Gyapong Kudjo won with 491 votes.
In the Ashanti Region, former Ashanti Regional Minister Joseph Yamin, who also attempted the chairmanship for the party in the region lost by 88 votes to his closest contender Augustus Andrew Nana Kwasi.
The Incumbent Upper East Regional Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Alhaji Bonaba Mumuni, was retained.
Prepare to lose 2020 polls – Asiedu Nketia to NPP
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has told the New Patriotic to prepare to lose the Brong Ahafo Region and the 2020 general elections as the caliber of executives elected would not rest until victory is won.
“With the caliber of executives chosen today, I am serving notice to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to prepare, and we will also prepare for 2020. We will recapture the Brong Ahafo and win the general elections as well in 2020”, he said.
