*Stephen Ntim clinches chairmanship position
*Justin Kodua beats incumbent John Boadu in General Secretary race
Story: Kwadwo Owusu ADUOMI
fter nearly 24 hours of a keenly contested election involving over 6000 delegates and 45 aspirants from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the the has finally elected its new national executives at the Accra Sports stadium.
The new executives have the mandate to run the affairs of the party for the next four years in their quest to ‘break the 8’.
The elected officers are; Mr. Stephen Ntim- National Chairman, Vice Chairman- Danquah Smith Buttey, Rita Asobayire- 2nd Vice Chairman, Alhaji Masawuud – 3rd Vice Chairman, Mr. Justin Frimpong Koduah- General Secretary, Henry Nana Boakye- National Organiser, Kate Gyamfua-National Women Organiser, National Nasara Coordinator- Abdul Aziz Haruna Futah, National Youth Organiser-Salam Mohammed Mustafa and National Treasurer – Dr Charles Dwamena.
Mr Ntim who was contesting the National Chairman’s position for the fifth time won a landslide victory of 4,014 votes, representing 72% at the national delegates conference of the party.
He took over from Freddie Blay, who had served in such a position since 2015.
In his victory speech, Mr. Ntim promised to cherish the National Chairman’s position and do what is required of him according to the party’s rules and regulations.
Prior to the election, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, charged the party’s delegates to elect him as the National Chairman saying, under his chairmanship, NPP would retain power in the 2024 general elections.
“All you have to do is to elect me on Saturday as the party’s National Chairman, and I promise you that I will make whoever you choose as the party’s flagbearer for the 2024 elections the next President of Ghana,” he pledged.
“Let me reiterate this point, with Ntim as National Chairman, I will only ask you to give me a presidential candidate and I will give you a President,” he stated.
Before his new position he served as the party’s first Vice Chairman between 2001 and 2005.
Mr. Ntim’s first attempt to be chairman of the party was in December 2005. His second attempt was in 2010 while his third attempt was in 2014. He again lost on the fourth attempt to Freddie Blay in 2018.
In 2005, Mr. Ntim lost to Peter Mac Manu, who was President Akufo-Addo’s campaign manager in the 2016 polls.
His second contest in 2010 ended in a loss to the late Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey and another loss to Paul Afoko in 2014.
In the General Secretaryship contest, the incumbent General Secretary John Boadu lost the position.
He lost to Mr. Justin Frimpong Koduah, alias JFK .
Mr. Kodua, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), is now the General Secretary of the party.
The legal practitioner polled 2,857 votes to beat Mr. John Boadu who obtained 2,524 votes out of the total 5,556 votes cast.
The NPP has since sworn in the officers into office . The Oath of Office was administered to them by the outgone National Chairman.
