Bolgatanga, Dec. 23, GNA - Upper East Region branch of the People's National Convention (PNC), has urged it supporters to vote massively for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the Presidential Run-off on December 28.

Mr. Baba Mohammed, the PNC Regional Chairman, at a press conference in Bolgatanga, said the call followed a meeting by the regional executives of the party and consultations with ward and constituency executives of 10 out of the 13 constituencies in the region. He mentioned Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Talensi, Bongo Garu-Tempane, Bawku Central, Binduri, Paga-Chiana, Pusiga and Zebilla constituencies and said Builsa South and Builsa North constituency executives were yet to decide which side to go.

Mr. Mohammed said the resolution was based mainly on consideration of party's security and its performance in future. He explained that " the PNDC that gave birth to the NDC did not allow the PNP, Nkrumahist party, under Dr. Hilla Liman to serve its full term of office to implement its good programmes for Ghanaians." The PNC Regional Chairman said that the late President Liman demonstrated his preparedness to work with the NPP when he led the party to boycott the 1992 parliamentary elections because he believed like the NPP that the elections had been manipulated. Mr. Mohammed said in 2000, Dr. Edward Mahama, who led the PNC, supported the NPP in the presidential run-off "because of the bad policies of the NDC".

He said that a comparison of NPP and NDC in terms of development of the eight years each that the political parties had rule Ghana, indicated that NPP had performed better. Mr. Mohammed said the PNC lauded the NPP proposed Northern Development Fund, especially the party's intention to increase the fund with an additional 1 billion US dollars, which was similar to the PNC's plans to develop northern Ghana. He commended PNC Members of Parliament for declaring their support for the NPP in the presidential run-off and said the decision of the regional executive surpassed any earlier claims that might have gone in favour of the NDC.

Mr. Mohammed said for now, ideology did not matter most to the PNC but "Whether it is centre left or centre right party that we give our support to, to move the country forward is crucial at the moment because we want to see this country develop better." The Navrongo Central Constituency of the party last Thursday declared its support for the NDC.