NPP prepares for Chambas' seat

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has embarked on the first in a series of refresher courses for its polling assistants in the Bimbilla District of the Northern Region.

The exercise is in anticipation of the bye -election to be held in the Bimbilla constituency when Dr Mohammad Ibn Chambas, Member of Parliament for the area officially announces his resignation to Parliament.

Dr Chambas is expected to relinquish his Parliamentary seat following his election as Executive Secretary of the ECOWAS.

NPP General Secretary, Dan Botwe told newsmen in Tamale even though the time of the bye-elections was not yet clear, Dr Chambas was expected to announce his resignation to Parliament soon.

He said Parliament would have seven days within which to inform the Electoral Commission, which would in turn be expected to conduct the bye-election within 21 days.

Mr. Botwe said, " all these would happen within a short time and the NPP is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to win the Bimbilla seat." "We are taking all the necessary step to ensure that we win. This is the first of a series of refresher courses we would be organising for the polling assistants to equip them to cope with the challenges ahead."

During his tour of the Bimbilla District, Mr. Botwe met with polling station and constituency executives of the Bimbilla and Wulensi constituencies at two separate meetings.

He described the atmosphere between the NPP and the National Democratic Party supporters in the two constituencies as "very cordial." "I paid a courtesy call on the NDC secretary at Bimbilla and I was well received. I therefore expect a healthy competition. We have a good chance of winning," he said.

The tour of the Region gave Botwe the opportunity to assess at first hand the needs of the district. He said even though the area had recovered from the wound of the 1994 ethnic conflicts there was still the need to address some issues to facilitate its development.

He singled out the road sector saying there was the need for a good road network linking food-producing areas to the marketing centres to enable the farmers to sell their produce.

He also said there was the need for the creation of food depots to store agricultural produce especially foodstuff, as well as the introduction of storage facilities.

Mr. Botwe dismissed allegations by some NDC functionaries that the NPP was trying to claim undue credit for the appointment of Dr Chambas as ECOWAS Executive Secretary saying," it is not in dispute at all that it was the government of the day which supported him."