Politics of Tuesday, 13 March 2007

Source: The Independent

‘Take the Cash, But Vote with Your Conscience’

The MP for Bole Bamboi in the Northern Region, John Mahama, has urged voters of the Nkoranza North Constituency not to be swayed by money and other material gifts as they go to the polls today to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP).

According to him, one of the main campaign messages of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is that, the voters should take such cash and other material things that the NPP is offering them, but they should vote with their conscience rather than allow themselves to be influenced by the items.

To Bole Bamboi MP was peaking to a group of journalists at Busunyaa, a town within the Nkoranza North Constituency, over the weekend.

Mr John Mahama, who described the campaign as generally peaceful, told journalists that the NDC has a fair chance of winning the Nkoranza election judging from the amount of work the party has done on the ground.

According to him, the Nkoranza North seat traditionally belongs to the NDC since it has won it on two occasions in the past with the NPP winning it once.

Mr Mahama however conceded during questioning that, the seat could go either way, and that the NPP has much more resources compared to the NDC. He was nevertheless optimistic that the NDC candidate, Dr Kofi Amoako Gyampah, will win the seat adding, “it is not about money but love.”