The Northern Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it did not err in its appointment of Adolf Ali as the acting Regional Chairman. 

Mr Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Northern Regional Secretary of the NDC, told the Ghana News Agency, that Mr Ali’s appointment was agreed upon by the Party’s “elders and executives” in the region, and was subsequently endorsed by the national office. 

Some irate youth, who appeared dissatisfied with the appointment of Mr Ali, vandalised the Party’s regional office in Tamale on Tuesday, destroying chairs, tables, and documents in the process. 

Mr Ali, a Regional Vice Chairman of the NDC, was appointed as acting Regional Chairman following the demise of Ibrahim Mobila (the substantive regional Chairman) last week. 

The Party said Mr Ali would steer the affairs of the NDC in the region until new regional executives were elected at the next congress. 

The angry youth, who stormed the regional office were said to have argued that Mr Ali was not the first vice Chairman and thus, he did not qualify to act. 

They said one of the Vice Chairmen, Rufai Vellim, whom they described as First Vice Chairman, was next in line to fill the Chairmanship void. 

But Mr Abdul-Salam said the NDC did not have first and second vice chairman positions in the Party. 

“We don’t have anything called first or second vice chairman in the NDC. Nothing like that exists in our Party. 

“We did absolutely nothing wrong. If we were wrong, the head office would not affirm the decision. Both the National Chairman and General Secretary were here and they affirmed our decision,” he said. 

Mr Abdul-Salam said calm had been restored at the regional office, saying: “We are here working this morning.” 

He said two persons who were captured on video were arrested by the Police and one had been granted bail. 

He urged the Police to treat the issue as “purely criminal,” adding that the leadership of the Party would not “treat it as a Party issue.” 

“The Party’s leadership in the region met yesterday and we will soon come out with a joint statement on the happenings in the region,” Mr Abdul-Salam said. 

Article 51 (2) of the NDC’s Constitution states that “Where the vacancy is occasioned by the absence of a substantive officer, the vice or deputy shall act in his or her stead until the next election. 

“Where there are more than one vice chair or deputies, the Party Executives at that level shall elect one of the vice-chair or deputies to occupy the vacant executive position until the next elections,” the Constitution directs.