By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
Eleven constituencies in the Ashanti region, including Asawase, have been declared potential violent Centres or ‘Hot Spots’ by the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as it prepares for its internal elections to select a Flagbearer and Parliamentary Candidates for next year’s national Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
The 11 ‘Hot Spots’ are among the 46 constituencies where the flagbearership contest is to take place, with the Manhyia South constituency declared not eligible to take part in the exercise. The Regional Organizer of the NDC, Isham Alhassan Bonsu, made these known to Correspondent Nicholas Osei-Wusu in Kumasi in relation to the Regional Secretariat for the primaries.
Ashanti Region has 47 constituencies, the largest in the country.
However, in the upcoming internal elections of the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, NDC, 46 are taking part as Manhyia South has been injuncted.
The elections, which are in two parts, Parliamentary and Flagbearship primaries, will take place concurrently in most of the constituencies except a few of them.
Constituencies such as Mampong, Adansi Asokwa, Akrofuom, Obuase East, Manhyia South, Kumawu, and Tafo will only take part in the flagbearer polls because they are either presenting an unopposed parliamentary aspirant or there are unresolved issues among the party members.
In all, about 62,000 delegates from all the 6,737 branches of the party, 1,425 constituency and regional executives, former ministers and deputy ministers of state, Council of Elders members, and others constituting the electoral college are eligible to vote in the two elections in the region.
This means 46 constituencies will participate in the polls, with about 76 parliamentary aspirants cleared to contest.
The Kumawu Constituency already has its Parliamentary Candidate for both the by-election later this month and next year’s election.
At the NDC’s Regional Secretariat in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional Organizer of the party, Isham Alhassan, said apart from two constituencies with minor disagreement over the delegates’ list, which he is certain to amicably resolve on time, all the approved constituencies are set to undertake the exercise.
According to him, 11 constituencies, including Asawase, have been declared “hot spots” with the potential for violent misunderstandings, for which the Police have been asked to take charge to avert any undesirable occurrences.
“We’ve written a letter to the Police to take charge of those centres. We’ve told them that, we’ll consider it as deliberate should any incident happen in those centres,” Isham warned.
Mr. Isham Alhassan said special arrangements have been made for delegates from the hinterlands as well as members of the Seventh Day faith in addition to unfavourable weather conditions.
Mr. Isham Alhassan assured that, as a party determined to win next year’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the NDC’s regional executives have resolved to create a level playing field for all the contenders to reduce to the minimum any acrimony, if any, so as to present a united and formidable front towards achieving the set goal for the 2024 national polls.
He, therefore, appealed to all the interested individuals and groups within the party in the region to ensure mutual trust, respect, and confidence in the measures put in place for the success of the primaries.
The Regional Organiser noted that, even though voting is scheduled to take place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., a centre could close the polls anytime within the period only if every eligible delegate had voted.