Sunyani, Aug. 10, GNA - Some leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Brong-Ahafo Region on Tuesday stressed the need for the party's hierarchy to identify loyal and committed supporters for effective campaigning to regain power in 2012. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in interviews in Sunyani, they said now that the NPP's national congress was over there was the need for all supporters to close their ranks and campaign in tandem with polling station, constituency and regional executives for victory.

Mr. Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, said the NPP was more important than any individual and as such petty squabbles and internal bickering should not be entertained among the rank and file of the party. He expressed appreciation to the party's hierarchy and the five candidates who contested for the party's flagbearership last Saturday for the measures that resulted in transparent, free and fair election.

"This implies that our great party is united and has demonstrated a high sense of maturity and civility in contemporary internal and external partisan politicking", he said. The MP said the NPP would continue to enjoy such peaceful cohesion that would culminate in victory in 2012, considering the overwhelming victory that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo received nationwide.

Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh said the National Democratic Party (NDC) government had disappointed Ghanaians and was disrupting programmes such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, National Youth and Employment Programme, free maternal care delivery, school feeding programme among others initiated by the previous government. "The country is witnessing massive corruption and the current government has failed to investigate all those allegations of corruption" he said.

Mr. Alfred Ofori Annye, Regional Secretary of the NPP, appealed to supporters of the party to regard themselves as one family with a common goal and agenda and to intensify the campaign drive to woo more people to join the party. "Now that the party has been able to make a break through in the national congress, the battle lies between the NPP and NDC as well as other minor parties", he said.

Mr. Kwadwo Asomah-Cheremeh, the Regional Chairman of the party, said the victory of Nana Akuffo-Addo was a victory for all party members. "In democracy and rule of law there will always be a competition and this does not warrant us to fight among ourselves", he said. Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh said with the expansion of the Electoral College it meant supporters at the grassroots had taken part in decision making and expressed the hope that they would work hard to ensure success in 2012. He said the regional, constituency and polling station executives had designed strategies to ensure that the party retained all the 15 parliamentary seats in the Brong-Ahafo Region and to work hard to "capture" five more.

Mr. Richard Kyeremeh, the Deputy Regional Organiser, appealed to supporters and party faithful to refrain from factionalism and channel their financial and physical strengths into the activities and programmes of the NPP.

Mr. Frank Opoku Adjapong, a businessman, who was among the candidates in the regional chairmanship position of the party spoke against complacency on the part of some supporters.