The Coalition of Concerned National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth of the Northern Region have expressed their dissatisfaction about one of the guidelines issued by the regional and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party for the election of party executive members at the regional level.
One of the guidelines, which were issued last Saturday, seeks to disqualify any member of the party who wants to contest a regional party position but has never been a ward or constituency executive.
The group specifically referred to item 6 (c) of the guideline which deals with the qualification for the regional executive positions, especially where the document stipulates that "(vi) In addition, a member of the party shall not qualify to vie for regional executive position unless the member has prior to seeking election held an executive position in the constituency".
This, the group said, was disturbing and unfortunate.
Addressing a press conference in Tamale, its spokesperson, Mohammed Suhunun, said the group, as a matter of urgency, had given the regional executive and NEC three days� ultimatum to immediately withdraw the clause (vi) found in item 6(c) in page 8 of the guidelines for elections of regional party officers or face the consequences thereof.
"This is so because, this particular clause (vi) is clearly stated in Chapter eight, article 42 (1f) of the NDC constitution (2010) which is applicable only to members seeking National Executive Committee positions,"the group stated.
"We, the coalition of concerned NDC youth groups in Northern Region, suspect that the regional/National Executive Committee of our party may be relying on article 50 of the NDC constitution, which gives residual powers to the National Executive Committee to decide on any party matter where there is no provision in the constitution which deals with that matter," the group said.
They said extending article 42(1) of the NDC constitution by the National Executive Committee to cover regional executive elections of the party amounted to amending the party's constitution (2010), which can only be done at the National Delegates Conference as stipulated by the same constitution.
The group stated further that they were also not in favour of an explanation given by the General Secretary of the party, Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia, in an interview on a Tamale-based radio station on Monday, July 7, 2014 that the clause was meant to ensure that experienced members of the party become regional executive officers and allow the inexperienced members to contest at both the branch and constituency levels.
"Ironically, in the same interview, Mr Aseidu Nketia admitted that much of the party organisation and work was at the branch and constituency levels as compared to that of the regional level," they said.
"So the simple question we are asking the NEC is that, why not rather encourage the so-called experienced members to contest at both the branch and constituency levels since much of the party work is done there," they questioned.
The group said it was sad the leadership of the NDC would deliberately hide behind article 50 of the party's constitution to deny true party members the opportunity to contest the elections.
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