Accra, Sept 04, GNA - Mr Daniel Ofori-Atta, National Chairman of EGLE, on Saturday said; "the NPP is afraid of losing Election 2004 because of the many skeletons its Ministers, Political Activists and other functionaries have gathered in their cupboards within the short span of four years.

"The corrupt and undemocratic practices adopted by its aspiring Parliamentarians including sitting ones and Ministers of States to win at their primaries is an attestation of their zero tolerance for corruption," Mr Ofori-Atta, said at the Party's Delegates' Convention. He said, "the electorate would be doing a great favour to the future generation if they voted out the NPP at Election 2004 but the future generations would hold each of us accountable if we failed.

"President John Agyekum Kufuor and the NPP have failed Ghanaians as the 'Positive Change' the electorate voted for in Election 2000 has become a mirage," he said.

Mr Ofori-Atta, who was addressing the Convention in Accra under the theme, "Creating Wealth Through The Transformation from HIPC Into An Emerging Economy", called on Ghanaians not to let the opportunity to change a government for the second time through the ballot box slip by. "I urge you to use the secret power of the ballot box to vote the incompetent, corrupt and fumbling NPP government out for completely failing the country."

He said: "You have lived in abject poverty and squalor for far too long and the time has now come for a real change for the better, by voting out and sending the NPP back to opposition where they belong to bring about the needed improvement in your lives."

The EGLE Chairman reminded the electorate of President Kufuor's pledge in Elections 2000 that; "Ghanaians have the right to exercise their right to vote out an NPP government if, after its first four years in office, it performs poorly".

Mr Ofori-Atta said independent assessment of the Government over the past four years indicated that it had performed poorly and must be voted out immediately.

He appealed to the leaders of the other political parties to ensure the maintenance of peace before, during and after the elections by restraining their followers from using provocative and abusive language in their campaigns.

The EGLE Chairman urged the people not to allow any party to deceive them by enticing them with money and other gifts to influence their voting, saying: "Your vote is your power and you must exercise it according to your conscience".

It is regrettable that the NPP Government had inflicted more pains on the ordinary people over the last four years and denied them of their fundamental right to good education and affordable health care because the Government had proved that it was not worthy of their trust. Mr Ofori-Atta called on chiefs and other opinion leaders not to allow themselves to be influenced with gifts from the NPP since they were insulated from partisan politics.

All the regional delegations, which adopted the Grand Coalition Agenda, amended the Party's Constitution and elected National Executives.