Accra, July 30, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday said that the electoral signs across the country are clear that the malfunctioning New Patriotic Party (NPP) will lose the December general elections on account of its mismanagement of the economy. Mrs. Sabah Zita Okaikoi, a Legal Practitioner, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency declared: "the signs are very clear, people all over the country can no longer tolerate the betrayal of their interest by the NPP and they are crying for a democratic removal of the party." She said the government's mismanagement of the national resources has led to drastic reduction in the people's access to such services as education and health.

Mrs Okaikoi, who is the NDC Parliamentary Aspirant for the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency said an NDC government under Professor John Evans Atta Mills former Vice President and Mr John Dramani Mahama has realistic human centre plans for accelerated development. She called on Ghanaians to reject the NPP's call for the renewal of its mandate for a third consecutive term in governance because of its experience in governance.

The Dome Kwabenya Aspiring MP said the party's two-term stay in power is rather hollow rather than an indication of its competence; stressing that, "Ghanaians will not be complaining and clamouring for a better government had the NPP's eight year stay in power been truly positive and beneficial."

She noted that NDC had experience governance and watched the NPP from the opposite end of governance and believed that the party managed the affairs of the country better than the current regime and must be given the mandate back. "Eight years in governance has exposed NPP's slogan that it has men of proven competence who can turn around the fortunes of the nation as empty talks," she said.

Mrs. Okaikoi stressed that in spite of its loud claims, the NPP has presided over "the most battered and hopeless economy" in the history of the country, notwithstanding the huge amount of donor support

given to it. She noted that retention of the NPP would be a reward for mediocrity and urged Ghanaians to vote for a brighter future by giving their mandate to the NDC on December 7.

"Ghanaians must not be afraid of a change in government because the NDC has the men, strategies and the goodwill on the international scene to bring about a veritable transformation in the country," she said. She urged civil society activists, electoral observers and democratic institutions, including all political parties to be vigilant to nib any attempt to rig the elections in the bud. Mrs. Okaikoi, described as gender activist and social worker, irrespective of her professional background said: "Nobody will be allowed to steal the people's mandate this time and those who are planning to rig the elections are advised to think again."