General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu on May 21, 2021, embarked on a 3-day working visit of the five (5) regions in the north of Ghana.

The General Secretary's visit was necessitated by the sheer number of party faithfuls who applied to be appointed to the position of MMDCE across the country, particularly the 5 regions in the north.

Mr Boadu was very concerned with the impact of the mass disappointments that may ensue as a result of the President picking 55 people out of the 715 men and women who have worked in diverse ways over the years for the party, especially to enhance the fortunes of the party.

Speaking to the aspirants, Mr Boadu said, "We cannot allow this process and its aftermath to derail the gains that have been made in uniting the party ahead of the 2024 general elections and beyond. We all should be mindful of the ramifications and manage our expectations, understanding the principle that what unites us as a party must be greater and bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, differences of birth, wealth, tribal and ethnic affiliations."

A case in point, in the Upper East region over 237 people applied to occupy 15 MMDCE positions in the region. Out of this, 15 are women, with 23 aspiring in Abinduri being the highest and the least being Nabdam with 7 aspirants. In the Garu district, a different and worrying scenario where a family consisting of father, son and mother all presented themselves to be considered as the District Chief Executive of Garu district.

In the Savana region, 83 people presented themselves to be considered, out of which 4 were women. The East Gonja Municipal- Salaga had 19 applicants representing the municipality which is the highest and the West Gonja Municipal - Damango had 5, which is the lowest in the Savannah region.

The General Secretary opined that the situation is no different in the Upper West region as 123 individuals applied in the region and out of this, 11 were women. Wa Central and Wa West each recorded 19 applicants, being the highest and Nandom registered 1 applicant, being the lowest in the Upper West and entire 5 Northern regions.

Northern Region saw 208 applicants with 10 women, Binduri had 23 applicants being the highest
While Nabdam had 7, representing the district with the lowest applicants in the northern region.

The General Secretary who was alarmed, said that the North East region had 71 applicants, with 6 of them being women. East Mamprusi Municipal had 18 applicants and the West Mamprusi Municipal 6, representing the Municipalities with the highest and least applicants respectively in the North East Region.

Mr John Boadu took time to advise all the applicants at the various vetting/ interview centres he visited to remain committed to the party regardless of the outcome of their dreams and aspirations to lead their districts and municipalities as the President's representative.

The Party's scribe was, however, impressed with the quality of personnel who made themselves available to be considered, he was extremely excited to see the kind of committed human resources at the disposal of the President.

The General Secretary praised the vetting Committee at the various regional centres for their dedication and tireless efforts to help shortlist the applicants for the eventual decision to be made by the President.