The race for New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Youth Organizer was but intense and fiercely fought but in the end a resounding victory for Nana Boakye popularly known as Nana B won convincingly and promised a new era for the Youth Wing and cementing his place as the Prefect Replacement for our Capo Sammi Awuku.

Now the focus is on who partners him to do the job. The former Youth Organizer and now National Organizer Sammi Awuku always made reference to the support he received from his deputies during his tenure in office and how they not only complimented him but were the his backbone of his success and clearly if Nana B is the perfect replacement,it is necessary he chooses not just anyone but one suited for the job. This means one who has exposure,can communicate,interact,has a track record and is an activist.

In this feature,my focus will be on who our National Youth Organizer chooses from the North as by convention there’s always one deputy from the North and another from the South. The person from the North must be someone who knows an understands the geography of the North,the voting patterns and some me with deeper understanding of not only NPP politics but politics in general in the North. The person must be battle ready to retain our party in the 2020 elections.

So far I’ve heard two names pop up from the North with one Haruna and Abdul-Ganiyu Alhassan. These two names I must say are more than qualified but in times like this,only one can sail through but I will talk about both men and leave it to the judgement of readers.

Haruna Nana B campaign coordinator in the Northern Region and currently serving as Deputy Regional Director of the Youth Employment Authority (YEA) in the Northern Region. He’s said to have been active in winning hearts of Northern Regional Youth Organizers to vote Nana B in the run-up to Koforidua Conference.

A man of the current Northern Regional Organizer Alhaji Rashid Salifu he’s not known beyond the barriers of the region and is not so much a firebrand though his backers are powerful which makes him a leading name for the position. For Haruna I wish he had a profile that would have been as powerful as his backers but not so much is known of him beyond the positions he’s held and currently holding.

The other name which is increasingly becoming a household name in Ghana is Abdul- Ganiyu Alhassan known in Ghanaian media circles as Brigandi an alumni of the prestigious Yendi Senior High School and the African University College of Communications (AUCC).

A migration practitioner ( an Advocate on Safe and legal migration) certified by US Government and trained by the UN-IOM and has attended many conferences and workshops in and out of the country . In the Northern Region,his name is a stand-out for his party activism which is why he was initially in the race for the Youth Organizer position.

Again, like Nana B, Brigandi has a track record of youth activism. The GITMO 2 will always be a thing Ghanaians will remember Nana B for but one thing we must know Brigandi who from 2007-2011 was the founding director and CEO of National Youth Coalition for Peace Building (NYCP) which received government sponsorship because of its quality.

In 2011-2016 he was the Founding Director and CEO of Returnees Diaspora Integrated Development Organization (RIDEO) after the Libya up raising which help a lot youth and the institution still lives and currently one of the most leading reintegration and diaspora organization in the country . The beneficiaries are alive to testify! It brought relief to thousands of Ghanaian youth. Furthermore in 2017, he championed the course to abate child trafficking and sex slavery by petitioning major stakeholders in that.

He petitioned the government, UN resident coordinator, head of Delegation European Union, USA Ambassador, German Ambassador, Canadian Ambassador, British High Commission, and other relevant institutions in the country to rescue young vulnerable migrants who are forced in to sex slavery one way or the other and arrest perpetrators and bring them to book, he risked his life in one his special initiatives to Crack human traffickers down. This was all in the Ghanaian media. This engaged the attention of United States Embassy in Ghana and other institutions.

The name Ganiyu cannot be loved or loathed completely,a grandson of a party founding father Late Tolon Naa Yakubu Tali has been through hell in the party and faced attacks from the NDC which at some point ended up bloody.

Like his grandfather who was selfless when Prime Minister position was up and made way for Dr K. A Busia,Ganiyu did same and threw his weight behind Nana B though in his case came with a cost to his name and reputation where all manner of insults and defamatory statements were made against him but he stood firm. Brigandi has faced it all and has been well grilled for the job.

Ultimately it is in the court of the National Youth Organizer and the National Executive Committee (NEC) to make the choice which I believe and trust their judgement. Till then the two men have their stories to market and party people know who’s product best sells.