Former President and founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Jerry John Rawlings has advised delegates of Saturday’s regional elections to vote for “persons of integrity who genuinely have the party at heart”.

“In the recent past the monetization of our internal selection process has adversely affected the fortunes of the party,” Mr Rawlings said in a statement to wish the delegates well ahead of the polls.

“I therefore urge you to resist the influence of money and material inducements from those who are more interested in themselves and their selfish interests than in building a strong and effective party.”

The NDC will this weekend elect regional executives across the 10 regions ahead of the national executive elections in October.

The party is reorganizing for the 2020 polls with the internal exercise scheduled to be climaxed with the election of a flagbearer on December 7, 2018.

“The rank and file must take the destiny of the party into their own hands and reject those whose conduct and lack of genuine commitment have contributed to the weakening of the party,” the statement signed by Kobina Andoh Amoakwa on behalf of Mr Rawlings said.

The party lost the 2016 elections to arch-rivals New Patriotic Party (NPP) in an unusual manner as its candidate, and then sitting president, John Dramani Mahama, lost after only the first round.

Mr Rawlings hopes lessons have been learnt from the past, charging delegates to elect “those who respect the essence of team work and who are principled, truthful and sincere”.

“Let us establish through the outcome of our regional elections, that we have learned from our recent past.”