Some 44 persons are contesting for 18 seats in the Western Region National Democratic Congress (NDC) elections.

The winners will become the new regional executives to steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.

A total of 875 delegates from 26 constituencies are expected to participate in the election.

The election is scheduled for today, September 1, 2018, at the St. Joseph’s Senior High School at Datano at Sefwi Wiawso.

Incumbent regional Chairman Michael Aidoo is facing stiff opposition from former Regional Chairman Nana Toku.

Prior to losing the chairmanship to Michael Aidoo, the NDC had 18 parliamentary seats in the Region.

However, this dropped to ten seats after the 2016 general elections.

“If as a chairman, we lost eight seats then we need to go back to the person who helped us to get the eighteen seats,” a loyalist of former Regional Chairman, Isaac Mensah told Connect FM’s Henry Ewood Yankey on Asem Yi Dzi Ka.

Speaking on the same show, a member of the campaign team for the incumbent Chairman, Patrick Ellonu, insisted that the party’s parliamentary defeat is not peculiar to the Western Region.

Apart from the regional chairmanship race, the other talking points of the regional election center on the Secretary and Organizer positions.

Incumbent Regional Communications Officer Famous Tumi-Acquah is challenging incumbent Regional Secretary Joseph Nelson whilst incumbent Regional Youth Organizer, Yunous Mohammed, is also contesting incumbent Regional Organizer, Japheth Baidoo.

Deputy Regional Women’s Organizer Abraba Tagoe, who has served in that position for the past twelve years, is no more contesting as she has her eyes on the Deputy National Women’s Organizer position.

The position with the highest aspirants is the Deputy Youth Organizer, which has a total of seven persons vying.

Some of the notable aspirants include Michael Gbedemah, who has been the constituency chairman for Prestea-Huni Valley from 2002 to 2018, and he is vying for Vice Chairman.

Musah Adamu, who has been a Deputy Regional Secretary for the past nine years, is also vying for Vice Chairman position.