Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday appealed to members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to resort to any sort of personal attacks in their campaigns during Election 2012.

He said the NDC Government had performed creditably well in the past three-and-a-half years to the admiration of all Ghanaians and would therefore win the elections in the first round.

Vice President Mahama made the appeal at a joint press conference by the NDC and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) to consummate merger talks that had started between them over a year ago.

On October 8, 2011, the DFP held an expanded extra ordinary conference, where they proposed a merger with the NDC that they had broken away from after series of disagreements.

Subsequently, the joint press conference which attracted Vice President Mahama, Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah, Life Patron of DFP, Nii Okaija Adamafio, Chairman of DFP, Mr. Bede Ziedeng, General Secretary of DFP, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of NDC and other Ministers of State and Regional Executive Members of both parties, was to mark the accomplishment of the discussion.

After the press conference, DFP now ceased to be a legal political party and most of its members would now be co-opted into the National Executive Council of the NDC at all levels.

Vice President Mahama urged NDC members to avoid retaliation even in the face of verbal attacks from their opponents adding “We in NDC are having our disagreements and I will like to call on all of you not to allow those sentiments to go beyond solution.”

He said it was not true that President John Evans Atta Mills had acquired a new set of official vehicles more expensive than those they inherited from the previous government, and called on members to be wary of the falsehood that was sent out to discredit the performance of government.

Vice President Mahama denounced the falsehood being peddled out that President Mills had been sleeping at the Flagstaff House, adding “There is no iota of truth in that assertion.”

Mr Asiedu Nketia said this year’s election was crucial and therefore, needed the contribution and good performance of every party member to achieve that goal; adding, “Every hand must be on deck to ensure a massive win for our party.”

He warned NDC members against discriminating against former DFP members in their day-to-day activities, as DFP was no longer a recognised party in the country.

Mr. Ziedeng expressed happiness that they were back to the fold of the umbrella party, and cautioned party members to work assiduously towards a vintage performance in the forthcoming elections in December.**