Mr. Yaw Akrasi-Sarpong, National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress says the party would win at the first ballot, unless the New Patriotic Party (NPP) rigs the December 2000 presidential elections.

He alleged that the NPP rigged the 1996 elections in the Ashanti Region citing that a critical analysis of the Bantama Constituency results showed that two people voted per minute, which was impossible because the process of checking names alone on the Voters' Register takes time.

Mr. Akrasi-Sarpong was speaking at a Special Delegates' Conference of the Tema West Constituency of the party on Sunday, which adopted a resolution to support the Vice-President John Evans Atta Mills declaration to seek nomination as the party's Presidential candidate for this year's elections. "Everything they say about us, it is they who want to do it. They are the people, who rig elections. We would make sure they do not rig the elections in the Ashanti Region and they should also make sure that we do not rig anywhere", Mr. Akrasi-Sarpong said.

He said he suspected that as part of the plans to rig the impending elections, the NPP is training 100,000 thugs, which they claim are polling agent because they have an inordinate desire to be in power by hook or crook. "We would open our eyes in the Ashanti Region because they have sworn they will increase their numbers there." Mr. Akrasi-Sarpong said that as a party in government the NDC has the most consistent interest in peaceful elections since it is the government, which would take the credit when the presidential and parliamentary elections are conducted peacefully. The National Organiser also called on the supporters of the party to be wary of "tactical maneuvers of the highest political order" by Mr. Kwame Pianim, a former NPP presidential aspirant to exploit and confuse them.

He said, even though, the position taken by Mr. Pianim looks very respectable, NDC members must be cautious since "it is an attempt to take a political moral authority from the NDC to a supposedly neutral grounds." Mr. Akrasi-Sarpong, however, stated that this does not mean that whatever Mr. Pianim says must be ignored, but in his personal opinion, it must be critically analysed to find out what political moves he is making. The resolution, which was read by Mr. David Daitey, the Constituency Secretary of the party congratulated Prof. Mills on his good intention to seek nomination as the party's flag bearer for the 2000 general elections. It said the choice of Prof. Mills is a clear manifestation of the NDC aim of bringing together individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds and political philosophies to build a just and democratic society.

Dr Debora Cubagee, Tema Municipal Director of Health Services, chaired the function.