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John Boadu, a former deputy communications director of the New Patriotic Party, now appears to be gaining the upper hand in the contest for the next National Organiser of the leading opposition party. Mr Boadu, a one-time National Youth Organiser of the party, lost the contest for the position in February 2010 to the incumbent Alhaji Moctar Bamba, who is seeking re-election for the position. Others competing for the position are Hopson Adorye, a leading member of the Young Patriots, and Mahama Mahamoud, former Upper East Regional Organiser of the party. Information available to the New Statesman indicates that Mr Mahamoud, who was the last to join the race for the position, did not get the �needed support� he had initially anticipated, and he is likely to withdraw his candidature and throw his weight behind John Boadu. This is expected to be a major boost to the campaign of John Boadu. The incumbent Alhaji Bamba had publicly stated that he could not deliver on his mandate as expected because he was allegedly not �given the chance� to work, and he now appears to be finding it difficult convincing the delegates to understand why they should not expect him to come back and give the same reason if his mandate is renewed. The other aspirant, Hopson Adorye too has tied his fate with �Sir John� Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, incumbent General Secretary of the party, with the two campaigning together, a strategy many consider to be too risky for either of the them. Duties of NPP National Organiser As stipulated in page 52 of the NPP�s constitution, the National Organiser, among other things, is responsible for the management of the organizational work of the Party; organizing recruitment drives, establishing contacts at all levels among voters, setting up and maintaining local branches, training of party activists and, in association with the Director of Communications, train officials to become trainers and organize both inner-party and voter education exercises. John Boadu As former Deputy Director of Communications of the party, and described by many analysts as a brilliant man the NPP needs to keep a hold off, this will be the second attempt by John Boadu at becoming the National Organiser of the NPP. At the 2005 National Delegates� Conference of the NPP, he was elected the National Youth Organizer, after securing 57.89% (785 votes) of the valid votes cast. His attempt at moving a step higher failed in 2010 after he was beaten to the National Organizer slot by the incumbent Alhaji Moctar Bamba. Mr Boadu believes that with the vast experiences he gathered over the years in various leadership capacities, from the polling station through to the national level, he is well-positioned to discharge the duties imposed on the position he is seeking. �As stated explicitly in the NPP�s constitution, the work of an Organiser requires somebody who is well-versed in party organisation and can efficiently discharge the duties stipulated by the constitution. John is simply strategic and smart and experience from the 2012 elections has vindicated him over the position he held when he was seeking to be the national organiser in the previous contest. John�s message then was that the 2012 election was not going to be about �machoism� and I think we all saw what happened. The position of a national organiser is very critical, more so when the party�s constitution places an obligation on the organiser to develop appropriate campaign messages for the party, in collaboration with the communications director,� a campaign strategist of Mr Boadu said recently. According to the campaign strategist, John Boadu �possesses a cross-sectional appeal and can therefore appeal to people from all walks of life, in addition to the fact that he is well-disposed to create a more positive image for the party as an excellent communicator, with excellent inter-personal skills.� Alhaji Moctar Bamba Even though he is facing a stiff opposition in his re-election bid, some people think Alhaji Moctar Musa Bamba has what it takes to pull a last minute surprise. He won the position with a landslide victory in 2010 during the party�s National Delegates� Conference held in Kumasi, obtaining 3,428 votes out of 3,951 valid votes cast, representing 86.76%. His margin of victory was the largest at the conference, with the second placed candidate, John Boadu, obtaining 11.34%. The 2010 National Delegates Conference was the second time Alhaji Bamba had contested the National Organizer position of the NPP, after being beaten by Lord Commey at the 2005 National Delegates Conference, where he obtained 603 votes to Lord Commey�s 697 votes. Aides close to the former Deputy Minister for Presidential Affairs and ex-Member of Parliament for Wenchi say the battle for the 2016 elections is going to be a different ball game, and would require that the party elects �a strong man� with the determination to �face the NDC boot for boot.� The Bamba team believes that because the NPP is not in power, and with the experiences from the 2012 elections, as played out during the Presidential Election Petition trial, the NPP will need somebody like Alhaji Bamba to ensure that the party takes control of affairs firmly at the polling stations. They further add that the NPP needs someone who can easily blend with the Northern and Zongo caucuses, to be able to share and co-ordinate well with them, in order to win their trust and confidence. Hopeson Adorye Hopeson Adorye is currently a member of the communications team of the NPP, a leading member of the Young Patriots, and a former Constituency Secretary of the NPP in the Kpone Katamanso constituency. His radical approach to politics is not very different from the incumbent Alhaji Bamba he is seeking to unseat Mr Adorye says he wants the job of NPP Organiser so that he can work as the leader of the party�s grassroots to help wrestle power from the NDC in 2016. The Young Patriots member is certain his candidature will be preferred by the delegates of the party. �I am contesting for National position. I�m going for the National Organizer of New Patriotic Party�I want to offer myself to the party so that I can work hard to consolidate victory in 2016. I can do this because as a Director of Operations for Young Patriots, 2012 elections, we toiled in all the ten regions. Most of the people know what we did, our capabilities and all that,� he said when he declared his intention to contest the position. According to him, the position demands a person who is undaunted by the circumstances of life, for which he is unmatched. �As Organizer, you need someone who is bold and fearless. Those qualities I think I have it. I am result-oriented person,� he has indicated. He has pledged to the party�s delegates that he would strengthen the party at the grassroots and encourage polling station executives to work with all their might, with an uncompromising attitude, to clinch victory for the NPP, come 2016.