Sekondi, July 25, GNA - The New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Conference has been scheduled for August 15-18 this year, at Sekondi, Mr Peter Mac-Manu, National Chairman of the Party, announced at Sekondi on Friday.

He announced this during media briefing after a meeting with sitting Members of Parliament, Constituency, Party Executives and Polling Station Chairmen in Western Region at Takoradi. Mr Mac-Manu said highlight of the conference would be a mammoth rally at Takoradi Polytechnic Park on August 17. He said the Vice Presidential candidate of the Party would be introduced at the rally and the Party's manifesto would be discussed and approved at the conference.

Mr Mac-Manu said there would be meetings of the Party's women caucus in Parliament and the youth wing. He announced that the Party was expected to increase its Parliamentary seats in the Region from 12 to 20 because of the pragmatic policies of the NPP Government in the area that had improved the living standards of the people.

Mr Mac-Manu said National Democratic Congress (NDC) could not defeat NPP in Election 2008 in the Region as being speculated because of the development Government had made in cocoa growing areas in the Region, particularly at Juabeso and Bia Districts through road construction, cocoa spraying exercise and increase in producer price of cocoa.

He said the Party had the trust of the people due to the good work of Government and would not let the nation down when re-elected. Mr Mac-Manu said Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Flag bearer of the Party, would build on the foundation laid by President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Party was prepared to account for its stewardship. He said the oil find in the country was made possible by the Government restructuring the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and feasible policies that attracted investors into the sector. Mr Mac-Manu pledged the next NPP Government's commitment to put the country's oil revenue to good use for the benefit of all areas and it was for this reason that consultative fora on oil and gas had been held in all the Regions to collate people's views.

He said vetting for a Parliamentary Aspirant for Effia-Kwesiminstim Constituency had been completed and the Constituency Executives, National Executives and Steering Committee of the Party would meet soon to deliberate on the recommendations of the Vetting Committee. Mr Mac-Manu explained that the National Executive Committee of the Party had the right to disqualify people who did not satisfy the requirements to be elected Parliamentary Candidates and nobody had been disqualified without any reason.

He said reasons for disqualification were not made public because of confidentiality adding, "The Party believes in internal democracy and only loyal and committed persons would be allowed to contest as Parliamentary Candidates of the Party".

Mr Mac-Manu said the National Executive Committee had been working in the best interest of the Party and asked members and supporters to rally behind them to enforce discipline to ensure peace and harmony. 25 July 08