Wa, Aug. 23, GNA - Mr Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Wednesday said the days when the Upper West Region was a no-go area for his party were over.

He said effective strategies were being worked out to translate the current massive goodwill the party had in the region into votes. He assured that the National Executive Committee of the party was satisfied with the way the regional executives were revitalizing party structures and organizing outreach programmes.

Mr Mac Manu was speaking to newsmen in Wa at the end of a two-day working visit to the region, during which he interacted with party executives in all the ten constituencies of the region. The party would make more resources available to them to beef up the organizational structures to enable them consolidate the gains and attract more people into the party, he said.

" I am highly optimistic that the time for the NDC in this region is over as a new light is shining in the region", he stressed. He said elections were won at the polling stations and grass-root levels and that was why he deemed it necessary to always go round to assess the situation on the ground to plan the right strategies towards victory in the 2008 elections.

"During my campaigns for this position, I promised not to be an armed chair chairman, I will therefore constantly be in touch with the grass-roots to ensure that our objective of retaining power is achieved".

The NPP National Chairman, who was accompanied by Alhaji Musah Abdul-Rahaman, third National Vice-Chairman, said during the tour they discovered that women and youth issues were receiving great attention, especially in the Sissala East and West districts.

He said at most youth rallies the government had been commended for introducing the youth employment programme and the capitation grant. The region, he stated, used to be a foothold of the Danquah/Busia Tradition and with the present positive political and economic developments that were evolving in the area, the people would go back to their roots.