Wa, July 5, GNA- Mr.Edward Annan, NDC presidential aspirant has given the assurance that when given the chance to lead the party in the 2008 general elections, he would unite all the splinter groups in the party to make it a formidable force to reclaim power from the NPP government.

He said the NPP government had abused the reasons why people voted for them in the past elections and he would capitalize on that to drum home messages that would "salvage them from perpetual economic problems"

Mr. Annan who was briefing the media on his intentions to contest for the presidential slot of the NDC said The Reform Party and EGLE would be his first point of unity, before adding others to enable them to win the elections convincingly.

He said he and other staunch members of the NDC were adopting affirmative plans to reverse their woeful performance in the 2004 general elections in the Central Region and called on his critics to support him rather than sowing seeds of discord among the rank and file of the party.

The presidential aspirant said those who were saying that he was a political novice should realize that no one particular individual was born with politics and it was something that was acquired based on the level of interest of the individual

"You really do not need to start with politics from infancy to be a successful politician. I have done a lot by creating a lot of job opportunities for so many people across the Globe which alone should be able to measure my level of success and what I can do for my people when voted into power".

He said almost 22 million Ghanaians were yearning for a new leadership which he was prepared to sacrifice his business and life to ensure that they were both economically and socially satisfied to give off their best for development.

Mr. Annan said the country was abound with adequate resources, but lacked good leadership to improve on the lives of people, adding that he would transform everything available to make life more bearable to all Ghanaians.

He accused the NPP government of manipulating economic activities to cripple his group of companies in the country and appealed to them to see his endeavours as a national development programme since it was creating jobs for people rather than trying to stifle his initiatives.

"My first task is to win as the presidential candidate in NDC before I will lay bare my development agenda for the country," he said. Mr.Annan was in the Upper West Region for two days to familiarize himself with party structures and also to declare his intention for the presidential candidate in the NDC party.