Ziope (V/R), June 18, GNA - The Ho East Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday endorsed by popular acclamation, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, 54, a Nurse, as the party's parliamentary candidate for Election 2004.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah is the Director in-charge of Health Services at the Catholic Secretariat in Ho.

Mr Steve Akorli, the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency told the 260 delegates and teaming supporters that he willingly relinquished the opportunity to contest for the fourth time and pledged to support Mrs Azumah-Mensah.

He tasked the Party members to work hard to ensure that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not get more than 1,000 votes in the coming elections, as had been the case in the past three elections.

Mr Akorli commended the NDC in the constituency for the unanimity in deciding the candidature, which attested to the notion at the Party Headquarters that Ho-East was among the most peaceful constituencies in the country.

He appealed to the people of the Constituency, which is now in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District, to overcome the recrimination over the citing of the capital of the District and to cooperate for its development. Mr Modestus Ahiable, Volta Regional Chairman of NDC, asked the members to brace up for elections, which he said was going to be tough.

He appealed to Party supporters everywhere to refrain from making too many demands on MPs, saying that development was a collective duty. Mr Ahiable dismissed the repeated statements by the NPP that they had made inroads into the Region and would win some seats and described it a as gimmick.

He said the Akan seat, won by Alhaji Rashid Bawa, riding on the back of the NDC, after which he turned to spite the Party, by joining the ranks of the NPP, would be won back.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah discounted the notion that not much could be expected from women and pledged to live up to expectation.

The Ho-East Constituency Primaries was the first of the 21 primaries to be held between June 18 and July 7. There are 22 constituencies in the Region.

Primaries for the Akan constituency, which is the only one in the Region without an NDC MP, had been held earlier. 18 June 04