The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene Ntow, has ruled out suggestions that the party’s regional congress in Kumasi was nearly marred by misunderstanding among some delegates. Nana Ohene Ntow said although there were some unfavourable undercurrents which resulted in some disagreements, the regional congress was largely successful. “I don’t think anybody is saying that there are no challenges... whatever you do there are challenges around but I think the important thing is you go into an election; it’s basically a competition, there is a bit of rivalry [and] in the process people may offend people and sometimes if you don’t take steps to deal with them, that might degenerate into something else. But I do not think the issue here is that there is going to be a major thing about the need for reconciliation and so on. I don’t think that is what it is. I mean, one or two days after election, those who’ve lost feel anguished and those who’ve won feel victorious; sentiments are a bit on the extreme side. It takes a bit of time,” he told the Super Morning Show on Tuesday. “But what happened yesterday, I think, was very…successful,” he affirmed. His comments come after reports that there were skirmishes at the congress grounds among some delegates. Joy News correspondents reported that the eligibility of delegates from Obuasi was challenged as the supposed election through which they became constituency executives had been annulled by the courts. A group also went to court seeking an order to restrain the Obuasi executives from holding themselves as delegates. Nana Ntow said party executives are conferring to resolve the issue. The NPP General Secretary also played down suggestions that delegates were strongly divided along the Alan – Akufo-Addo lines, a situation which reportedly nearly disrupted proceedings at the congress. “I am surprised that this has become …such a huge thing that even if you go and hold a successful conference, people will still want to knit-pick and try and focus on what they consider to be a negative and all of that; I am a bit surprised at that,” he said. He said whilst every political party has its own challenges, “you want to take a look at the totality of such a major event.” Nana Ntow also justified the situation where some delegates rooted strongly for particular presidential hopefuls in the party. “I don’t see anything wrong with somebody supporting Nana Akufo-Addo, somebody supporting Kyerematen, Isaac Osei, Kufuor or whoever; I think it is very right, and those are things that every party has to manage as they go along,” he counseled. The party’s national congress has been slated for 27 February, 2010, to elect new national executives. Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana