Koforidua, Aug. 23, GNA - The Western Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac-Manu, has said the party currently required somebody rich in political scheming to lead the party to victory in 2008.

According to him, the party was weak at most constituency and polling station levels and "we need a dynamic leader who has gone through the mill with successful landmarks like me to lead the party to victory."

Mr Mac-Manu, who is running for the National Chairman of the party, was addressing a joint meeting with the constituency executives of the New Juaben North, New Juaben South, Okere and Akropong at Koforidua on Monday as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Eastern Region. He declared: "we are in politics to win power, including electoral alliances, I will ensure the financial capacity of the constituencies and reward all foot soldiers of the party who help the party of win votes in the rural areas."

Mr Mac-Manu who recounted how he rose through the ranks from the polling station to key national level positions of the party, said he helped the party in the Western Region to raise its constituency seats from 3 in 1996 to 8 in 2000 and 12 in 2004 elections. He said with his experience in campaigning through the "difficult Western Region terrain", he was prepared to be " a moving chairman" who would lead the party in its nationwide campaign for the next election. Mr Mac-Manu, a Takoradi-based industrialist, said the party needed a chairman who can work under pressure and not "an armchair chairman," saying he would strengthen the fundraising system to ensure that all party structures and members help in funding it instead of leaving it to a only a few persons.

He called for the setting up of strong research/intelligence unit at all levels of the party and pledged to replicate the Public Relation/Information Management Team (PRIMT) he put in place in the Western Region in all offices of the party to propagate the ideals of the party through the media.

Answering questions, Mr Mac-Manu promised to serve as a bridge between the old and the future of the party by encouraging all professionals and youth to contribute their quota towards the party's progress.

A Pretoria-based Ghanaian gynaecologist, Dr Samuel Annor, who was accompanying Mr Mac-Manu on his campaign trail, noted that many foot soldiers of the party felt neglected since the party won power and assured that if Mac-Manu was elected, he would correct anything was likely to affect its growth.

The Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Nana Adi Ankamah, cautioned the constituency executives against any open partisan tendencies towards any of the contestants vying for positions in the party but reserve their interests till the party's delegates conference in November.