General News of Friday, 17 February 2006

Source: GNA

NDC suspects President over ROPAB

Koforidua, Feb. 17, GNA- The Eastern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Anthony Gyampoh, had cautioned that the passage and implementation of a Representation of the People's (Amendment)Bill (ROPAB) could spark electoral disputes since elections organized in the Ghanaian Missions abroad under the supervision of the Ambassadors, who are members of NPP and the minority parties could not sponsor their agents to be at the missions to monitor the polls. According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suspected that it might lose the 2008 elections hence it was disregarding arguments and warnings being raised by the minority parties and organized groups in its desire to pass the Representation of People's (Amendment) Bill (ROPAB).

Mr Gyampoh, who was addressing a meeting of NDC constituency organizers, women organizers and youth organizers, expressed concern that despite the "dangers over the passage of the ROPAB yet the government is bent on ensuring the Bill was passed."

He said the NPP's posture meant it was evolving strategies to use the law to rig the elections "or the President might have entered into a secrete agreement with some people for which he is bound to ensure the passage of the bill into law no matter the consequences." Mr. Gyampoh said it was the intention of the NDC to use all legal means available to the party and other like-minded people to ensure that the Bill was not passed into law to save the country.

The Eastern Regional Organiser of the party, Mr Tawiah Boateng, urged the President to listen to the voice of the good people of Ghana "if he is truly a listening President and God-fearing." He said the NDC was targeting to win 18 parliamentary seats in the Eastern Region in 2008 and would be putting up appropriate programmes and structures to ensure that the goal of the party was achieved.