In a firm call for party cohesion and strategic consolidation, the Central Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Nana Richard Asiedu, has charged internal aspirants to avoid mudslinging as he outlines his campaign vision for reelection.
Addressing party faithfuls for the upcoming internal vacancy-filling exercise, Prof. Asiedu highlighted the executive team’s track record in transforming the Central Region from a volatile swing zone into a dominant base for the governing NDC, urging members to protect those hard-won gains.
“I came with my team to meet 13 parliamentary seats, of which I increased it to 18 plus one, including coming 8-plus seats,” Prof. Asiedu declared, accounting for his stewardship. “And also increased the presidential constituencies from 4 to 21. I think with this, if we are able to consolidate on our gains, we can go higher and higher and remove the Central Region from the strings of being a swing region.”
Rebuilding a Firm Base
Reflecting on the party’s operational state when his administration took office, the Regional Chairman noted that turning around local party structures required substantial personal sacrifice, financial commitment, and sustained grassroots engagement.
“I wish to state that when we came, we met a very weak party—lack of finance, things were very difficult,” Prof. Asiedu recalled. “But you have to put in a lot of resources, especially for myself, to make sure that the party stands and stands firm. Now, the party has become very attractive because of my relationship with the people in the region.”
He underscored that under current leadership, the NDC’s primary objective in the region remains non-negotiable:
“With the kind of help and support that has been given to Central Region in terms of leadership, there should be no way Central could be described as a swing region. It is one of my major aims to make sure that Central Region wins more seats in the area of presidential and both parliamentary, so that the region becomes a stronghold, but no more a swing region.”
A Call for Decorum and Decisive Unity
With the governing party holding internal elections to fill party executive vacancies, Prof. Asiedu issued a strong warning to candidates across all levels. He cautioned aspirants against disparaging fellow party members, emphasizing that post-election reconciliation is vital for retaining executive power.
“The advice I would give to our opponents within that is the NDC aspirants is that when you go to the grounds, you have to preach what you can do and what you can help the party to achieve, but not to denigrate and destroy the image of others,” he advised. “If you do so, after the elections it will be difficult to reconcile with the opponent.”
Reminding party executives and aspirants of the ultimate electoral objective, he stressed that internal rivalries must not overshadow the struggle against their main political adversary, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Our common enemy or major opponent is the NPP,” Prof. Asiedu stated. “We are NDCs, and we are doing what is described as an internal party vacancy filling. So you can’t destroy your own colleague or your friend and later go back to the person to move forward.”
The Regional Chairman concluded with an urgent appeal for circumspection across all tiers of the party organization:
“If it happens so, it will affect the unity that we are searching for. It will affect us moving forward; it will delay us in the progress for winning the elections. So I beg everybody along the chain from the branch, from the constituency, the region, national, and the presidential primaries period everybody should be circumspect in whatever he or she says so that it will not come back to haunt us in the elections. Thank you.”
