An Aide to President Atta Mills, Ludwig Akpene Hlordze, has been elected the National Youth Organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), beating his main contender, Abubakar Musa Sidii, a loyalist of former President Jerry John Rawlings. The election, held on Saturday at the Sunyani Polytechnic Campus, was supervised by the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Arthur Yeboah. Early signs before the keenly contested elections indicated a straight fight between the Mills boy and Sidii of the Rawlings camp. At the end of the polls, Ludwig Hlordze obtained 387 votes, beating Sidii, who polled 213 votes. Other candidates who fought for the same position were Ras Mohammed Mubarak Abdulai, who surprisingly secured only 6 votes after a rigorous campaign, Lord Hammah, a former student leader, who got 3 votes and Paa Kwesi Bruyare, 10 votes. Two candidates, Michael Kombor and Abudul Rahaman, pulled out of the race just before voting started. James Kofi Fonu was elected the First Deputy National Youth Organiser after securing 430 votes, while Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, a failed parliamentary candidate in the Offinso South Constituency, gained the mandate of the delegates to become the Second Deputy National Youth Organiser by obtained 378 votes. The nine candidates who contested the Deputy Youth Organiser position were Courage Kobina Barlon, Fred Kwasi Agbenyo, Edem Anthonio Asinyo, Emmanuel Osei, Abraham Azumah, Adongo Azule Jacob, a physically- challenged man and Hattie Laura Ken. Party gurus such as Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, General Secretary; Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy General Secretary; Inusah Fuseini, MP for Tamale Central; Dr Hanna Bissiw, deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing among others, stormed the congress grounds to add more colour to the event. The out-gone National youth Organiser and MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, did not mince words when he mounted the podium and lambasted some party bigwigs whose unguarded utterances had thrown the NDC in chaos in recent times. “People who go out criticizing the party should find a better way for doing that,” Mr Iddrisu pointed out to the party stalwarts who are said to be ‘pissing in,’ adding, “None of us here must work in a manner which will eventually lead the NDC into opposition.” According to him, he would not be one of those who pretend that there were no challenges and problems within and outside the NDC, indicating that the success of the NDC government would depend on the ability of party leadership to address those challenges. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana