Jacobu (Ash), July 27, GNA - The former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister in-charge of Agriculture, Mr George Adu-Mensah was on Tuesday elected by acclamation as the parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Odotobri Constituency in the Ashanti Region.

Mr Adu-Mensah also served as the Adansi West District Chief Executive during the second term of the NDC government. The candidate, who was the first MP for the area in the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic but lost the seat to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 1996, was given the nod at the Party's primaries at Jacobu.

Mr Akwasi Abayie, Ashanti Regional Organiser of the NDC, called for unity and love within the rank and file of the Party.

He said the NDC was determined to recapture political power to salvage the deteriorating state of the country, since the NPP had failed to fulfil the promises they made in 2000.

"Now the NPP Government's national debt stands at 36 trillion cedis and it is likely to shoot up to 40 trillion cedis by the election time", he said.

Mr Abayie said a fair reflection of the past three and half years showed that the nation was retrogressing. A Government of the NDC would resuscitate the nation, he said. Mr Adu-Mensah promised to work harder to honour both the Party and the people of the Constituency.

Executives of the Party from Obuasi, Akrofuom, Bekwai and Kumasi as well as the Party's Parliamentary Candidates for Bekwai, Akrofuom and Obuasi attended the primaries.