NDC first vice-chairman hopeful targets how to strengthen the branches

Alhaji Nje Abdallah Umar, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist seeking to become the First Regional Vice Chairman of the Party in the Ashanti Region, says he is targeting to revitalise the branches to be battle ready for the 2024 general election.

He believes the victory of the party hinges on the activeness of the branches and that the re-organisation agenda of the party must strategically focus on strengthening the branches.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Alhaji Umar said the NDC stood a better chance of winning the 2024 elections but it was imperative for the party to strengthen its local structures ahead of the crucial election.

He said the branches were the base of the party with the mandate to protecting every single ballot at the polling station and for that matter training and resourcing them was critical to its electoral fortunes.

“I am part of a team visiting the various constituencies within the region as part of our outreach programme and I have realised that some of our branches are not active and I believe urgent steps must be taken to revive them for the battle ahead,” he said.

Alhaji Umar said the practice of sending external party members to support the branches during elections was good but equipping the branch executives was the best because of their knowledge of the local politics.

He said he would personally adopt some of the polling stations across the region and nurture them to be effective in mobilising the support base of the NDC.

On his ambition to be part of the Regional Executive, Alhaji Umar said he was bringing fresh ideas on board to energise the party in the stronghold of the governing New Patriotic Party.

He said improving on the party’s performance in the Ashanti Region could go a long way to securing victory and expressed the hope to join the leadership of the NDC in the region to prosecute that agenda.