Kpone, Oct. 20, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings, last Friday asked loyalists and faithful of the largest minority party of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to protect its electoral victory at the December 2008 polls.

He alleged that Ghanaians were deceived in 2000 to vote the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into power and in 2004 the lack of vigilance by the party made the NPP stole the electoral victory of the NDC. "This time, you must not sleep but rather be vigilant and protect the victory of the NDC else if they won again you would be reduced to fourth rate citizens," the Former President said in Ga as he addressed a rally of party loyalists and supporters at Kpone, in the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency in the Greater Accra Region. The ecstatic crowed that attended the rally, went agog with music and dancing amidst the shouting of party slogans and catch phrases when Former President Rawlings, the founder of the party arrived at the rally grounds.

The former President, accompanied by Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, incumbent MP and Madam Beatrice Naa Afiyie Ashong, former MP for the constituency took turns to address the rally. He urged the people to maintain peace and avoid violence in the run up to the polls but noted however that peace was a product rather than an event, which necessitated truthfulness, peaceful acts and good behaviour.

"We have demonstrated that we are peaceful people. They rather want you to go and sleep on Election Day so that they can steal again. Peace can only come about if they stop misbehaving, let us be alert this time," he said.

The Ex-President catalogued a number of events under the NPP administration which he said, were affront to peace and added that the NPP was greedy and wanted every national asset to belong to its members. "They are thorny shrubs in a plantation and it is necessary that we plug out those thorns out of the plantation," he said. The NDC founder accused the NPP of abuse of power and urged Ghanaians to vote for the NDC, which he said, was a party of accountability, freedom and fairness. "A vote for the NDC is a vote for yourselves," he added.

Earlier Mr E.T Mensah alleged that not only had the NPP planned to intimidate voters, but also planned a power cut on the day of election in the constituency to enable it manipulate the election result. "The NPP has failed Ghanaians and it is afraid of rejection. NDC will have victory one touch," Mr Mensah said adding that, a South African research team had indicated that the NDC would score 60 per cent of total votes in the first round.

The former MP, Naa Ashong urged the electorate to maintain the Kpone-Katamanso seat for the NDC. Incumbent MP Nii Afotey-Agbo said he had championed the cause of the constituency in parliament and explained that the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) was responsible for development in the area. He accused the MCE of corruption, alleging that he had misappropriated funds meant for the construction of roads in the constituency.

Nii Afotey-Agbo said the NPP went for a loan to procure cars for the celebration of Ghana's golden jubilee only to turn round after the celebration to sell the cars to party members and functionaries at reduced prices.

Such practices, he said, was tantamount to corruption and had created economic hardship for the Ghanaian masses. He, therefore, called for a total rejection of the NPP government at December polls in place of the NDC.