Wa (Upper West), 5th May ?99 ?

The New Patriotic Party is to mobilise all human and material resources at its disposal to fight and win the forth coming by-election at Lambussie, Mr Daniel Botwe General secretary of the Party has stated.

" The result of the 1996 election in the constituency does not frighten us. We have accepted the challenge to contest and win and not just for contesting sake".

Mr Botwe was addressing a news conference at Wa on Monday before he embarked on a tour of the Lambussie constituency to access the situation on the ground.

The Lambussie seat became vacant when its MP Mr. Luka Koo died on April 20, after a short illness.

He said post 1996 election analysis on the party's strength and weaknesses in the constituency indicates that it could win the seat this time round.

" From what we have gathered the Party has the good will of the people which has been fuelled by the NDC's failure throughout these years to improve their lives.

"They now look to the NPP as the only hope for salvation from their economic woes ".

The general secretary appealed to the Electoral Commission, the security agencies and the NDC to ensure that the elections are held in a free and fair environment.

" Our party's organisation is now polling station-driven and we are therefore serving notice that we will under no circumstance allow our polling agents to be intimidated to move one metre away from the polling stations during voting day", he warned.

Due to lack of photograph on the identity card of voters in the rural areas, he said, the NPP would insist that names of voters are mentioned, identified and ticked in the register in front of the polling agent before they are allowed to cast their vote.

Mr. Botwe appealed to the media to give adequate and equitable coverage to all contesting parties and assured Ghanaians that any resourceful minority MP can lease with government and its agencies to bring development to his people.

He therefore asked the electorate to dismiss the propaganda that only sitting government MPs can bring development projects to their areas. NPP elects candidate for Lambussie by-election

Meanwhile, Mr Anthony Balooro, a 46-year-old farmer, has been elected unopposed as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate for the by-election.

Mr Balooro stood on the NPP ticket in the last election but lost to Luke Koo whose death on April 20 this year has created the vacancy for the by-election.