Politics of Sunday, 17 October 2004

Source: GNA

NPP bent on capturing Sene, Atebubu-Amantin and Pru seats

Atebubu (B/A), Oct. 17, GNA - The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is leaving no stone unturned in its strategic campaign efforts to capture Sene, Atebubu-Amantin and Pru seats, which had been retained by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since 1992.

Mr. Dan Botwe, General Secretary of NPP made the remarks when addressing party officials and polling station executives of the three constituencies at a meeting at Atebubu on a day's visit, during which he shared a total of 100 bicycles to the constituencies on behalf of the National Secretariat of the party as part of the party's strategy to ensure effective and thorough campaign towards the December election throughout the country.

In addition to the bicycles, Sene Constituency also had One Model 40 Enduro Yamaha out-board motor.

Mr. Botwe cautioned the constituency executives that the bicycles were for the party and that on no account should any one person or group of persons manipulate them for personal interest.

"The bicycles are with you mainly to enable your campaign team to reach the adjoining towns and villages in the constituencies to explain to the electorate the need for them to vote for the NPP in both the presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Botwe stressed.

Mr. Botwe noted that his outfit had taken note of factors that contributed to the party's loss to the NDC in the previous general elections in the area saying: "Every necessary step has been taken including the provision of bicycles to step up our campaign and neutralize the domination of the NDC in this regard."

The party's national programme to train about 10,000 polling station officers between October 22 to 29 to ensure effective representation of the NPP at all the 21,000 polling stations in the country in the election day was yet another master-plan to check any election malpractices that might crop up.

The General Secretary was optimistic that at least NPP would win 160 or 170 constituency seats out of the total number of 230 and urged the would-be polling station executives to keep an eagle's eye at their local polling centers so that their areas could be counted among the 160 or 170 seats NPP would win.

"I do not think you will feel happy if at the end of the day our party wins both the presidential and parliamentary elections but minus your areas of operation."

Mr. Botwe mentioned a number of completed and on-going projects that the NPP Government had provided for people in the various districts in its only one-term of office and expressed the hope that those facilities would spur on the people to show appreciation to President Kufuor's government by way of voting to endorse the continuity of the NPP.

Present at the meeting included Mr. Cassius Osei-Poku, District Chief Executive for Atebubu, Mr. Osei Hyiaman, District Chief Executive for Kwame Danso and NPP parliamentary candidate for Sene, Mr. Mumuni Ibrahim Mohammed, Atebubu South parliamentary candidate and other party officials.

The General Secretary who was accompanied in his visit by Mr. Kofi Darko, Brong-Ahafo Regional Organiser and Mr. K. Marfo, the Regional Assistant Secretary, had earlier stopped at Ejura to interact with the Zongo community before proceeding to Kwame Danso and finally to Atebubu for the triangular meeting of the party executives and polling station officers.