Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - The Free Tsatsu Tsikata Campaign (FTTC) on Wednesday announced that it had collected about 6,000 signatures, well above the 1,000 targeted when it launched the signature campaign to protest against the imprisonment of Tsikata, former Chief Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

It said there were more signatures coming from various parts of the country and were available for inspection. Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of Insight Newspaper and member of FTTC, speaking at a press conference in Accra, said the group was still compiling names of signatories after which copies would be presented to President John Agyekum Kufuor, Chief Justice Mrs Justice Georgina Wood and Tsikata himself.

He said those who signed onto FTTC come from all works of life, including lawyers, academicians, journalists, unemployed, students, shop-floor workers, traders and even illiterates who had the documents read and explained to them before they appended their thumbprints. Mr Pratt said among those who had signed, were former President Jerry John Rawlings, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, Flag bearer of National Democratic Congress (NDC) and his running mate, John Dramani Mahama and Prof. Akilakpa Sawyerr, former Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana and retired Secretary General of Association of African Universities.

Others included Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, National Chairman and Mr Bernard Mornah, Secretary of People's National Convention (PNC), Prof. Ansah Asamoah of Sociology Department of University of Ghana, Mr Kyeretwie Opoku, General Secretary of National Reform Party, Mr Amo Godfred, former Ambassador to Cuba and Dr Kwabena Duffuor, former Governor of Bank of Ghana. Mr Pratt said FTTC was encouraged by the massive public response, which had found expression in participation in public forums, street leafleting and the signature campaign and thanked those who were part of these activities. He said the signature campaign was not the end of the campaign to free Tsikata and called on well meaning Ghanaians who felt outraged by the injustice and unfairness of the judgement of Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban to continue to rally around the call for his freedom.