... As Boniface supporters flex muscles

THE NEW PATRIOTIC Party (NPP) headquarters was the scene of yet another demonstration yesterday, this time to counter the one held last week against the alleged imposition of Mr. Boniface Abubakar Saddique, Independent Member of Parliament for Salaga on the constituency supposedly by the party leadership. The peaceful demonstrators converged at the party offices to render apology to the President and the national executive for ?the embarrassment and unruly behaviour? of the earlier demonstrators and to show their gratitude for their decision to support Mr. Saddique.

?We wish to state that the sort of behaviour and character exhibited by that unruly group at the NPP party headquarters? is not associated with the people of East Gonja at all. ?Their action, to say the least, is a serious embarrassment to the people of Salaga and Gonja in general.?

Presenting the letter of apology and gratitude for the endorsement of the deputy Minister of Tourism as the NPP Parliamentary Candidate in the December election, the spokesman for the demonstrators, Mr. Abudu Amadu Musah said: ?We also wish to unreservedly render a sincere apology to the NPP National Executives, the Regional Executive and particularly the Regional Chairman, Alhaji Salifu C.O.P and the National Youth Organizer, Mustapha Hamid for the personal attacks they suffered in the hands of the unruly so-called Salaga NPP members who came and misbehaved at the party headquarters.?

The spokesman accused the District Chief Executive for the area of allying himself with the NDC to undermine the NPP in the constituency.

He said, ?We hope our call would be given serious attention to stop the NDC and the District Chief Executive from causing any further damage to the fortunes of the NPP in the 2004 general elections.?

Mr. Abudu Amadu Musah urged the leadership of the NPP to investigate the attempts by the NDC leadership in collaboration with the DCE to create confusion within the rank and file of the NPP to pave the way for the NDC to win the Salaga seat in the forthcoming elections.

Yesterday?s demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions like, ?President and Boniface are one touch,? ?Keep up the good work done Boniface,? ?Boniface woye champion,? ?Kufuor and Boniface, one touch, no second round.?

The demonstrators reassured the President and the party hierarchy that Mr. Sadique was the right candidate capable of wining the seat for the NPP.

His endorsement was, therefore, perfectly in order, and a great decision because his popularity in Salaga and beyond was not in doubt,? they said.

Receiving the petition on behalf of the national executive, Mr. Hamid advised the demonstrators to exercise restraint to allow the party to announce a date for the constituency primary.

He assured them that the party would not impose any candidate on them, adding that it was unconstitutional for the NPP to impose candidates on the constituents.

Answering questions from reporters Mr. Hamid said the Salaga primary was deliberately delayed in order to allow the Deputy Minister to contest the seat without necessarily relinquishing his parliamentary seat.

?The intension is to hold the primary in mid-September when officially the exercise will end and by which time Boniface will not need to resign his parliamentary seat.?

In a related development, Muntala Nuru Walie, spokesman for the youth in Salaga, corroborated the allegations made against the DCE, which he said were causing disunity among the rank and file of the party.

He accused the DCE and the NDC ex-Deputy National Treasurer, Alhaji Baba Kamara of creating tension in the area.

?Alhaji Kamara is using the DCE as catalyst to foment trouble in the NPP in order to pave the way for the NDC parliamentary candidate to win the seat, ? he charged