Begoro, May 14, GNA - Mr Kwadjo Agyei Addo, Presiding Member of the Fanteakwa District Assembly, was on Thursday elected the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Fanteakwa constituency in the 2004 General Election.

Mr Addo, a businessman, polled 74 out of the 163 votes cast by delegates at NPP primaries at Begoro, to defeat Mr Kofi Okyere Agyekum who polled 41 votes, Mr Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah who had 40 votes and Mr Kwabena Otu-Danquah who had 8 votes.

The polls were supervised by the National Electoral Commission and was witnessed by Mr Stephen Ntim, first national vice chairman of the party, and the regional and constituency executives.

The Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Nana Adi Ankamah expressed regret that though the Fanteakwa constituency had been a stronghold of the United Party (UP) tradition, it had been lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since 1992.

He, therefore, appealed to the electorate to vote for the party in the parliamentary and presidential elections.

Mr Ntim commended the delegates and contestants for ensuring peaceful elections and said the development was a boost to NPP's campaign efforts, contrary to fears expressed by sceptics that it would be difficult for the party to win the seat.

He urged supporters to unite and avoid acrimony, animosity and petty squabbles that could divide or destroy the party.

Mr Ebenezer Ofoe-Ceasar, Fanteakwa District Chief Executive (DCE), who stepped down as an aspirant in the primaries, said he would support Mr Addo to win the seat.

The DCE also appealed to the electorate to vote massively for the parliamentary candidate to enable the NPP wrest Fanteakwa from the NDC. Mr Addo said his victory at the primaries was a triumph for the NPP and democracy and appealed to the vanquished aspirants to support him recapture the seat for the party.