The National Communications Officer of the Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, yesterday said that the party has taken steps to prevent any altercation at the upcoming 10th National Congress in Accra on Saturday.
He said the NDC had learnt lessons from disturbances at the just-ended women and youth congress at Cape Coast last week.
He said the party had arranged internal party security to work with the Ghana Police Service who would be in charge of security on Saturday to forestall any confusion.
Mr Gyamfi who is going unopposed as the National Communications Officer of the NDC said these yesterday at a familiarisation visit to the Accra Sports Stadium where the congress would be held on Saturday.
On media accreditation, Mr Gyamfi said that the NDC received a number of applications from all the 16 regions in Ghana but only 100 accreditations would be issued to journalists.
He urged the media to reach out to the publicity committee for interviews.
Mr Kofi Adams, the Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency and chairman of Grounds Committee, the committee charged with ensuring sitting arrangements at the Accra Sports Stadium told journalists that about 9,000 delegates from all the constituencies would cast ballots to elect new executives to steer the affairs of the NDC for the next four years.
Mr Adams said the NDC recognises Santrokofi, Akpafu and Lolobi, also referred to as (SALL), the areas that could not vote for a Member of Parliament in the 2020 election as a constituency, thus bringing the number of constituencies to be represented at the 10th Congress to 276 instead of 275.
The NDC is the biggest opposition party in Ghana. The party was formed in 1992 and has won four elections respectively in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012.
The party is seeking to re-energise its support base in order to capture political power in the 2024 general elections.
In all, 63 members had put themselves up to contest for various positions including National Chairman, General Secretary, National Organiser and National Communications Officer.
Two key positions stand out- National Chairman and General Secretary.
The National Chairman contest is between former General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the incumbent National Chairman.
This position is expected to be a tight race as both candidates vying for the position have vast experience having held different positions in the party over the years.
Mr Fifi Fiave Franklin Kwetey, a former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and one time propaganda secretary of the NDC is set to battle it out with Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, former Minister of Youth and Sports, and Mr Peter Boamah Otukonor, a former deputy General Secretary of the NDC.
There is a general concern among supporters and sympathisers of the NDC that the electoral victory of the party was dependent on who delegates elect to lead the party in the 2024 general elections.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
