....in the 2008 elections

The Minister of Regional Co-operation and NEPAD, and Member of Parliament for Offinso North Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, has indicated his willingness to hand over his seat to NPP members who would want to contest that seat in the 2008 elections.

Dr. Apraku, who was speaking at a meeting with party agents at Akomadam, said, the fact that he is an international politician does not mean ?he has monopoly over knowledge in developing the Constituency.?

Dr Apraku explained that his decision would ginger the youth in the Constituency to strive for higher educational laurels to enable them take over the rein of leadership from current political leaders most of who cannot fully participate in politics few years to come.

He observed that most of the brainy and energetic youth are shunning politics because they believe that the elderly politicians would not give them the chance to continue with what they would leave off or ?spend a fortune before they could dethrone a seasoned politician.? He nonetheless indicated that he would not sacrifice the seat to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) because its candidate, Mr Appiah Kubi is energetic graduate. He also advised the youths in the NPP who want positions in the party not to tarnish the image of the elder politicians as a means to wrestle their seats.

Dr Apraku did not only describe as erroneous but also baseless propaganda being peddled in his hometown, Akomadan, that he wants the NDC, candidate to go to parliament, while he takes up ministerial appointment so that they would team up to develop their town. He reminded the gathering that when he beat his NDC opponent in 1996 parliamentary elections, the then District Chief Executive for Offinso, Mr Kwesi Addai, who was recently beaten in an Assembly election at Anyinasuso said, he would never take development project to Akomadan, Afrancho and Anyinasuso.

?At that news conference, to which The Pioneer gave prominence, some Akomadan citizens were present and were happy, so how do I team up with them. They don?t like development? he emphasized. On his part, Mr Eric Kwatia, the Ashaiman Constituency secretary of the NPP who is also the Greater Accra Regional assistant secretary, advised party agents to ?educate the people on the registration exercise and at least each of them should try and encourage 100 eligible voters to register.?

He estimated that if all the 42,000 party agents in the 21,000 polling stations help to register 100 eligible votes the party stand the chance of winning 3,360,000 voters representing 80 percent of the likely 4,200,000.