The Ashanti Regional first Vice Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, has given the assurance that, the future of the party, after president John Agyekum Kufour's exit in 2008, was going to be bright and not gloomy, as is being speculated in some quarters. He therefore charged supporters of the party not to be worried about what would happen after Kufour's exit, but to rather see it as a duty to inform and educate the masses about the gains of the NPP Government.

Mr. Osei Assibey, who said this in an exclusive interview with ?TheServant? in Kumasi, explained that, the Kufour led administration had laid a good foundation for the party's future and whoever would emerge Kufour's successor in the party was automatically going to enjoy his good will.

He mentioned the repealing of the criminal libel law, improvement in the education sector, Ghana's enjoyment of the millienimun challenge account, President Kufour's invitation to attend a G-8 summit, among others as gains of the NPP Government which have consolidated its popularity among the electorate.

Though, the just re-elected regional first vice chairman admitted that, there were fierce power struggle in his party, he was optimistic that, it was not going to impact negatively on the party's future, stressing that, there would be a re-unifacation after victors were emerged, "unlike the NDC, where everything is built around one person In the NPP, decisions are taken democratically, whoever therefore loses in a contest, accepts his/her defeat in good fait and quickly joins the winners to fight for a common goal, he explained.

He recalled that prior to Kufour's emergence as the leader of the NPP, there were similar speculations, but everything was brought under control after he was chosen to lead the party.

When asked about the state of the party in the region after the regional delegates? congress, Mr. OSei Assibey, said it was cordial, explaining that, steps were being taken to reconcile the winners and the losers. He hinted that the losers in the regional congress were going to be brought on board in terms of decision making.

In reaction to a question as to why the former regional chairman of the party, Mr. F.F. Anto was not present at the congress, the vice chairman explained that, it was a way of him trying to dodge the blame of him supporting any of the chairmanship asprants. ?If he had come and perhaps seen communicating to any of the chairmanship aspirants, it could be interpreted to mean that he was on the camp of that fellow" he said.