Accra, April 5, GNA - Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Issakah, Interim National Chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), on Saturday said the fact that the Party members had congregated at a congress was proof that pundits and critics of the party were wrong in predicting its failure. He said: " Because of our proven vibrancy, other parties have started revising their archaic notes because they know that against the DFP they are in for a tough race at the 2008 Election." Alhaji Issakah, who was also one of the two presidential aspirants of the party, was speaking at the National Delegates Congress of the DFP in Accra.

He noted that the DFP had come this far through the hard work of its rank and file, saying that many joined the party initially thinking it was a gravy train but some dropped off when they realized it was hard work.

Alhaji Issakah, a private businessman, contesting against Mr Emmanuel Ansah Entwi, a Communication Consultant, urged members of the DFP to continue to uphold the principle of tolerance. The Interim National Chairman explained that this would ensure that those, who exhibited extreme intolerance for opposing views were sieved out of the 2008 political race.

Mr Bede Zeiden, Interim General Secretary of the party, noted that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party comprised of all regional Chairmen and Secretaries and 16 other persons. Moments before the Congress opened, all the 180 delegates from the Ashanti Region threatened to storm out of the event for what they termed "unfair treatment".

Some of the delegates told journalists covering the Congress that since they arrived the previous night they had not been fed and they also slept in the open space on Accra Poly Campus, where the congress was being held. A National Executive member, who was at the scene of the confusion and who declined to mention his name, said the situation was being taken care of.

Meanwhile when the Ashanti Region Branch of the party was introduced in the congress hall, they were not present to respond.