Ho, June 13, GNA - Mr Dan Botwe, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Saturday said the Volta Region was of equal strategic importance to the Party as others in its quest to win at least 160 seats in the next Parliament.

Mr Botwe stated this during an interaction with Journalists in Ho as part of his five-day working visit to the Region. He said the Party was, therefore, giving equal attention to all constituencies in the Region and not just some of them.

Mr Botwe said the people in the Region were now in a better position to judge whether the NPP Government was anti-Volta Region as they were made to think when the Party was in opposition. He said much as the Party hierarchy would not tolerate edging out new converts in the Region, it would similarly act to prevent infiltration into the Party.

Mr Botwe said the Party would not use incumbency to manipulate the electoral process, but would use the advantage of achievement to buttress its campaign for Election 2004.

He gave the assurance that the Party's Leadership would not impose parliamentary candidates on constituencies contrary to its democratic tradition.

Mr Botwe said, if that were the Party's agenda, no other candidate would have been allowed to challenge Mr J. H. Mensah, Senior Minister. He explained that it was for strategic reasons that the primaries have been delayed in some constituencies.

Mr Ken-Wuud Nuworsu, Volta Regional Chairman of the Party, said people who wished to join the Party should be ready to abide by its laws and codes instead of jostling for leadership positions prematurely.