Politics of Thursday, 29 July 2004

Source: GNA

Effutu NPP executives asked to bury their differences

Winneba (C/R), July 29, GNA - The New Patriotic Party women's organizer for Dombosco Electoral Area of the Effutu constituency in the Central Region, Madam Comfort Esi, has called on party executives to amicably resolve the impasses among them that had divided the party. The party became divided immediately after the primaries held on March 13th, after Mr Yamoah Kufuor had 27 votes to beat Mr Oheneba Acheampong who obtained 23 votes, while the third contestant Mr Kwesi Sawyer had one vote.

During the voting, most of the executives and supporters expected Mr Acheampong who contested the seat four years ago to win.

Madam Esi who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Winneba on Thursday, said if the party hierarchy did not do its best to settle the differences, it would be very hard for the party to take the seat from the NDC, which was doing all it could to maintain it.

Madam Comfort said the issue of who should be the candidate for the party in the constituency should not have divided and retarded its chance of winning the seat.

She appealed to the executives to place the interest of party above their personal one and come together to campaign for the NPP to win. Madam Esi urged the supporters not to extend tribalism to the party and cited Mr Kwamena Bartels, who hailed from the Agona area in the Central Region but contested and won a seat in Accra, explaining that, if the Gas had been tribalistic they would not have allowed him to contest the election.

She appealed to the factions to "let bygone be bygone and rally behind the elected candidate to win the seat".