Accra, May 7, GNA - The Zongo Caucus of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has mapped-out schemes to expand and solidify its dominance in the Muslim communities nation-wide to boost the party's chances of retaining power in Election 2012.

The scheme includes educational campaigns to plug all loopholes for alleged rigging and cheating at the polling stations, empowerment of women and youth from the Zongo communities and special means to make the NDC attractive especially within their communities. Speaking at a strategic meeting with the Zongo Caucus Women's Wing in Accra on Friday, Mahmend Yusif Captain, National Coordinator of Zongo Caucus, said the strategies were indicative of the seriousness attached to Election 2012.

"The NDC is growing with confidence and would work hard even in government to increase its electoral margin in both the Parliamentary and Presidential elections...we would expand our frontiers within the Zongo communities".

According to Mr. Captain, the caucus will "solidify our front against infiltrators and expose the anti-NDC propaganda of our opponents to discredit the ruling party for electoral gains" He said NDC Zongo Caucus would not allow the opposition parties especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to dictate the "pace of political campaigns this time...therefore, the Zongo Caucus would tailor its campaign to set the agenda, intensify door to door, house to house and village to village campaigns".

He said leadership of the party was not crumbling, as some people would like to believe adding, "the NDC is still bound together by the same principles and policies, since 1992". Mr. Mahamend Captain, who is also the NDC Greater Accra Regional Vice Chairman, cautioned detractors of the party to "put off fires at their own backyard instead of moving around in an attempt to set fires in other peoples peaceful communities".

Hajia Amina Seidu, National Women's Organiser of Zongo Caucus said the NDC remained a true national party that would continue to use collective efforts to develop the country. The NDC, she said, stood for hard work, unity and stability and urged its members to be alert to acts by detractors of the party to sow seeds of disunity among them.

Hajia Seidu assured women and the youth that the ruling party would continue to tap the experience of every Ghanaian, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences, in the country's development process. "NDC is for everybody, the common man, and there is nothing like a big man or a small man when it comes to working together for a common purpose", she added.

She urged the people, especially NDC members to inculcate the spirit of hard work, nationalism in the new members adding, "we should all have the burning desire to move the country forward". Hajia Seidu said NDC was the only force to reckon with and urged members to work hard to enable it achieve success again in the next elections, stressing "the party's doors are open to all disenchanted opposition members, as well as floating voters".

"There is the need to reach out to all of them with the message of togetherness, unity and peace for a common purpose", she added. Alhaji Alhasan Bene, National Secretary of Zongo Caucus, emphasised that the ruling party's main concern now was to develop potentials of the country and not any particular interest.

He said the caucus would soon initiate nation-wide organisation leading to a national delegates' conference by the end of the year and challenged its members to start mass mobilisation across the country. Alhaji Bene advised Muslim youth against acts of hooliganism and other unproductive ventures; "our youth should direct their energies towards the development of the northern parts of the country". He called for total support for President John Evans Atta Mills and Vice President John Dramani Mahama as they work towards the Better Ghana Agenda.