Communication team member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Kay, has shared his thoughts on the fierce contest for the NPP chairmanship in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, the battle is between the incumbent chairman, Chairman Wontumi and Odeneho Kwaku Appiah. He believes Odeneho is the stronger candidate among the contestants and hence, has the power to pull a “proper contest”.
In an interview with Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9 FM’s “Epa Hoa Daben”, the NPP spokesperson reiterated that Chairman Wontumi has the upper hand in the regional elections despite some controversies within his camp
“This Ashanti Regional Chairmanship position is a tricky situation. In my opinion, it is a 50/50 contest between Chairman Womtumi and Odeneho Kwaku Appiah. I’m not writing the rest of. The strength of the race is between the two. It will be difficult because for me, you cannot remove an incumbent with several candidates. Whether you accept it or not, the incumbent has an advantage. So to win you need a strong candidate to contest while the orders rally behind him.”
He further suggested votes cast will be spread out among the other four contesting for the chairmanship position, making it difficult to put up a strong fight against the incumbent chairman.
“The four will only spilt the votes. Those who feel like they can’t support or they don’t love Wontumi again will be spilt amongst the four candidates. About 60/70 percent will go for Wontumi and that’s a fact. He is still a strong candidate in my books. To defeat him you need to come together, support one candidate to make the camp.”
Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known popularly as Chairman Wontumi, has been regional chairman for two terms and is looking to go for a third term. Contesting him for the position are Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, who believes he holds the magic and vision to unite the people in the region, Mr.Owusu Aduomi, a former member of parliament for Ejisu constituency in the Ashanti region, Mr. Boris B, among others.