The Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central, Joana Gyan Cudjoe, has revealed that moves to unseat the incumbent Western Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Kojo Toku, were initiated by some party bigwigs about two years ago.
According to her, some influential figures within the party approached her and asked her to present a candidate who could challenge Mr Toku for the regional chairmanship position.
She said the discussions eventually settled on her uncle, George Arthur, a former Member of Parliament who represented the area for three terms.
Speaking to delegates at Takoradi ahead of Saturday’s regional executive elections, Ms Gyan Cudjoe disclosed that she had no knowledge that the party bigwigs had subsequently abandoned the arrangement involving her uncle and were pursuing another candidate to challenge the incumbent chairman.
Although she did not mention the identity of the candidate allegedly being considered by the party bigwigs, her account comes amid the contest between Nana Kojo Toku and his first vice-chairman, Kwame Borlu, who is also seeking to become regional chairman.
Despite the apparent change in the political calculations, the Amenfi Central MP remained confident that her uncle could still emerge victorious. She expressed the hope that if George Arthur was destined to lead the NDC in the Western Region, nothing could prevent that from happening.
In a separate engagement with journalists, Ms Gyan Cudjoe disclosed that Mr Borlu had approached her shortly before the meeting and appealed to her to persuade her uncle to withdraw from the race. “Borlu told me to plead with my uncle to step down at my hotel minutes ago, but I told him it will not happen,” she said.
She questioned the rationale behind the appeal, arguing that if the national security research Mr Borlu allegedly relied on placed him ahead of the other contenders, George Arthur’s withdrawal should not make any difference to his chances of winning.
The MP’s public declaration of support for her uncle adds another dimension to an already closely watched regional contest, particularly as she is the only sitting MP in the region publicly identified as backing a candidate in the chairmanship race.
Her involvement is also being viewed against the background of her political relationship with the incumbent chairman.
Ms Gyan Cudjoe is believed to have taken her decision partly because of what she considers Mr Toku’s failure to support her during the political difficulties she encountered in her bid to become the NDC parliamentary candidate for Amenfi Central.
She subsequently secured the party’s parliamentary ticket and went on to win the constituency seat.
Toku banks on electoral record
Meanwhile, Nana Kojo Toku is banking on his record of electoral performance and organisational leadership to secure another mandate from delegates. His central message to the delegates is the party’s remarkable electoral gains in the Western Region under his leadership.
From eight parliamentary seats in the region, the NDC now controls 15 out of the 17 constituencies, a development his campaign believes provides sufficient justification for continuity. Mr Toku is expected to argue that the gains represent significant progress that must be consolidated rather than risked through a change in leadership.
He is also positioning himself as the candidate capable of leading the party to capture the remaining two parliamentary seats and further strengthen the NDC’s electoral fortunes in the region.
With the regional elections approaching, the contest has increasingly become a test of competing political interests, personal loyalties and the question of whether delegates should reward the incumbent’s electoral record or embrace a change in leadership.
The outcome on Saturday is expected to determine who takes charge of the party’s affairs in the Western Region and leads its next phase of political organisation.
