Salaga (N/R), Nov. 25, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday appealed to members, supporters and sympathisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Salaga to bury their differences and close their ranks for a resounding victory for the Party in the constituency in Election 2004.

He said: "The serious rift among us will not help in our Party's democratic victory this year. We cannot afford to lose any vote in the Salaga Constituency.

"We should all resolve here and now to ensure that Salaga Constituency will be in the Vanguard of the NPP's forward march to the Castle and Parliament," he said.

President Kufuor made the appeal when he addressed a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Salaga as part of his five-day official tour of the Northern Region.

He said any group or institutions without a leadership would end up in chaos and anarchy so if any leadership took a decision the group should accord the leadership the due respect.

"I appeal to all of you on both sides of the divide of the NPP in Salaga to accept the authority of my leadership to bury your differences in the interest of the Party" he said.

President Kufuor said if the bickering within the Party were allowed to continue, there would not be unity within the Party to guarantee it the victory in the December polls.

He said the Leadership of the Party in its wisdom had decided that Alhaji Boniface Abubakari Saddique, Deputy Minister of Tourism and the Modernisation of the Capital City should be its Parliamentary Candidate for the Constituency.

"We all want victory for the NPP in Salaga Constituency, therefore, let us all rally together to support the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the 2004 December elections," he said.

President Kufuor said the Leadership of the Party was aware of the strained relationship among some of the members, supporters and sympathisers, adding, "this will not stop until the ill-feelings within the Party at Salaga were solved and we should try to resolve it positively for all concerned".

He said Boniface had showed competence and loyalty to the NPP in Parliament and as a Deputy Minister of State.

"He has distinguished himself; worked competently and had declared to join us. Why should we throw him away? This is why the Leadership resolved to accept him and asked the Salaga Constituency to vote and return him to Parliament.

"Whatever, differences that had existed between him and others should be buried now for the cause of the Party and Salaga. President Kufuor urged the Party members to enter the elections as a united entity.