Koforidua, July, 22, GNA - The Eastern Regional Branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said that it would retain the Atiwa constituency seat in the forth coming by-election, slated for Tuesday, 31 August, 2010.

The NPP Regional branch said the party would present an acceptable candidate to enable it to win the seat for fifth conservative time.

The Regional Vice-Chairman of the party, Alhaji Omar Bodinga in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Koforidua on Thursday, said that considering the contribution of the NPP Government to the development Atiwa, there was no way NPP would lose that seat.

He said that when the NPP took over power in 2001, the area lacked development including roads, educational facilities, water and toilets but these problems were solved.

Alhaji Bodinga said that the NPP also created a separate district from the East Akyem District, which has developed.

The Atiwa seat has become vacant following the death of the Member of Parliament, Mr Kwasi Annoh Ankamah.

Mr Ankamah, who was born on June 1 1957, graduated from the University of Ghana in 1984 with a degree in Political Science and passed out from the Ghana School of Law in 1986.

He was also a product of the University of London and became a Special Assistant to Former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Mr Ankamah was elected Member of Parliament in 2008 after obtaining more than 78 per cent of the votes cast in the polls.