Politics of Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Source: mynewsgh.com

I’ll still contest as NDC Regional Chairman - Azorka

Northern Regional Chairman of the NDC, Sofo Awudu Azorka Northern Regional Chairman of the NDC, Sofo Awudu Azorka

The Northern Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sofo Awudu Azorka has denied claims he has abdicated his position and will not contest when the party goes to congress in the future.

The NDC is expected to hold constituency and regional congresses somewhere next year to elect new officers before a national one is conducted but he has downplayed claims he is no longer interested in the position.

“It is one of their propaganda against me. Ignore them because I have not told anyone I am not going to contest. I will still contest as Regional Chairman when the party opens nominations”, he told mynewsgh.com via telephone.

According to him, he still has some unfinished business with the party and will ensure that he works assiduously to bring the party back to power in 2020.

The Azorka-led administration has been accused of squandering party cash which culminated to its abysmal performance.

A youth group in the area has issued an ultimatum for the Sofo Awudu Azorka led leadership to step aside for investigations to be conducted into how monies were spent during the campaigns or incur their wrath.

In a statement issued and signed by the by the convener of the group, Salman Faris he said chairman Azorka and other regional executives were rather focused on amassing wealth for themselves to the detriment of the party’s electoral victory and must squarely be blamed for its defeat.

“The actions and inactions of the regional Chairman and some of the regional executives led to the humiliating defeat of the party in the 2016 general elections”, he said.

The concerns of the pro-NDC group follows concerns raised about the effectiveness of some executives during the campaign period.

A committee chaired by former Minister of finance and Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Kwesi Botchwey has also been tasked to investigate and establish the cause of the party’s defeat in the 2016 December polls.

But Salman Faris stated that in most cases party boys were either threatened with beatings or arrest each time they demanded some accountability.

The group alleged that the chairman in the heat of the 2016 electioneering campaign season also diverted monies and incentives meant for the activities of the party in the region indicating that they will no longer sit aloof and allow Chairman Azorka to destroy the party and condemn the party into perpetual opposition in Ghana’s politics.