NDC confident of winning Election 2008 - Danny Annan

Accra, July 14, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday Said the party was growing in confidence and would win both the parliamentary and presidential elections to form the next government. Mr Danny Annan, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that NDC's dream team of flag bearer Professor John Evans Atta Mills and running mate, Mr John Dramani Mahama, would improve on the percentage of votes it received against President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2000 and 2004 elections to take over the reigns of government.

The NDC Regional Chairman noted that although the party was not as financially endowed as the ruling New Patriotic Party, it would not allow that party to dictate the pace of political campaign this time. The NDC has therefore decided to tailor its campaign to suit its finances by not holding big rallies, which cost a lot of money, but adopt the cost effective door-to-door, house-to-house and village-to-village campaigns.

"The NDC is bound together by the same principles and policies, which have endured for the past years.

"The NDC still stands by its belief in multi-party democracy and rule of law and will not compromise on these principles."

He said the NDC believed that the Electoral Commission can do something to minimise the misuse of incumbency by the party in government, by checking the misappropriation of state resources and machinery to undertake its campaigns.

Mr Annan restated that the NDC remained a true national party that would continue to use collective efforts to develop the country saying, "Prof Mills stands for hard work, unity and stability of the nation". He noted that the Presidency of Prof. Mills was ready 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."

Mr Annan urged the people, especially NDC members, to inculcate the spirit of hard work, nationalism in the new campaign drive, adding, "we should all have the burning desire to move the country forward in unity".

He said the party's doors were open to all Ghanaians, especially floating voters. "There is need to reach out to all of them with the message of togetherness, unity and peace for a common purpose." Mr Annan also appealed to the media and leading members of the NPP to stop provoking former President Jerry John Rawlings stressing that it was unfortunate for some journalists and their political collaborators to demonise the former President "on 24-hour basis".

On development in the Greater Accra Region, Mr Annan said the regional executives had intensified their effort to annex over 60 per cent of votes in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. "The calibre of parliamentary candidates elected and the peaceful nature of our primaries, especially the collaboration among all the contestants, affirm the party's commitment to forge ahead together in unity," he said.