Garu (UER), Oct. 6, GNA - Mr Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister, last weekend predicted a resounding victory in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections for the NPP in Garu-Tempane Constituency during Election 2008. "Elections in the area which always favoured the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is expected to take a new turn this election year as a result of the many developments undertaken by the NPP Government since 2001," Mr Samari said. Mr Samari who is also the NPP Parliamentary Aspirant for the Constituency, made the prediction at a rally organized at Garu to launch his campaign.

Thousands of sympathizers dressed in party paraphernalia, danced and cheered through the Garu Township amidst brass band music to the main rally grounds.

When Ghana News Agency interviewed some of the residents they said it was the first of its kind in the area and many people had voluntarily attended an NPP rally. Mr Samari said it was time people in the area reciprocated the gesture NPP had offered the area and said "NPP Government has the people of Garu-Tempane at heart and moved against all odds to provide the area with a district.

Mr Samari told the teaming crowd that because of the special affection President Kufuor had for the area, he appointed a son of the area, Mr Joseph Akudibilla to a Cabinet position as Deputy Minister for Defence and Mr Samari as Upper East Regional Minister, "an honour the NDC never gave to the area," he said.

He touched on the National Health Insurance Scheme and Free Antenatal Services that offered the people free access to quality health care delivery and the School Feeding programme, which had encouraged more children to enrol in school.

Mr Samari said introduction of the Capitation Grant had taken much burden off parents from paying school fees and the National Youth Employment Scheme where most of the youth who in the past migrated down south in search of work were now fully engaged and earned money to take care of their needs.

He said the Macro Credit Support Schemes for Small and Medium Enterprises had supported many women in the area to engage in various businesses. Mr Joseph Kpenka Dindiok, Garu-Tempane District Chief Executive, called on the electorate to see the visible development programmes the NPP had brought to the area and retain it in power. He said even though the area had always voted for the NDC, the NPP had never let the chiefs and people in the area down "but the evidence of the prudent infrastructure provided by NPP is here for all of us to see."

Mr Akudibilla called for unity in the area and said it was only morally right that the people in the area assessed the many development projects that the NPP had brought to them, appreciate the efforts, and vote massively for it to retain power and continue with its development agenda for the area. Mr Mamud Mahama, Upper East Regional Organiser of NPP urged supporters and sympathisers of the Party to vote massively to retain it in power to continue with its good work.