WA, Oct. 27, GNA - Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate of Nana Akufo-Addo, New Patriotic Party's presidential candidate, has appealed to Ghanaians not to risk the country's future by returning the National Democratic Congress to power.

He said Ghanaians rejected the NDC in 2000 because it failed to deliver on their aspirations, but the NPP had proved after almost eight years of ruling this nation that it is a competent, dynamic and big thinking government.

Dr Bawumia was addressing separate rallies at communities in the Wa Municipal, Wa West and Wa East Districts to begin a four-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region last Saturday.

He said the December general elections offered an opportunity for Ghanaians to decide whether they wanted to move forward or backward. "The election is about a choice between a good future for your children under an NPP government and a return to the dark days of retrogression under an NDC regime and we should not allow these enemies of a better future for our children to come back," Dr Bamumia said. He said the time for free Senior High School education for Ghanaian pupils had come and Nana Akufo-Addo would deliver on this promise if given the chance to rule the nation. "Under a Nana Akufo-Addo government access to secondary education will not depend on the availability of money for any child" he added. At the Wa Lorry Park where he addressed a large crowd of Party supporters, he assured members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union that the introduction of the Metro Mass Transit was to supplement their efforts and not kill their business. He said the government was finding ways of assisting them to operate efficiently for the over all development of the transport sector.

At Nyoli in the Wa West constituency, he mentioned a litany of programmes and development projects that had been executed by the NPP administration for the benefit of the region particularly the Bole-Bamboi road and asked them to place their hope and aspirations in the NPP by voting for it.

Dr Bawumia and his entourage also addressed rallies in the Wa Central constituency and Loggu in the Wa East constituency. Alhaji Karim Grunsah, Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Football Club called on all Ghanaian Muslims to see the NPP as the only party that had recognised their capabilities to hold top leadership positions in government.

He said the choice of Alhaji Aliu Mahama as Vice-President and currently Dr Bawumia as running mate, were clear testimony that the NPP was the only political party that had a "soft-spot" for Muslims of this country.

Dr Bawumia was accompanied by Mr Godfred Bayong Tangu, Minister of State for Transportation, Mr George Hikah Benson, Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Clement Eledi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Abdul-Rahman Musah, second National Vice- Chairman, Mr Stephen Ntim, former First National Vice-Chairman and Mr Yoofi Grant, a Leading Member of the Party. 27 Oct. 08