Northern NDC's declare unconditional support for Mills

Tamale, August 4, GNA- Executive members of the northern regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have vowed to compel President John Evans Atta Mills to contest the party's presidential slot for the 2012 elections even if he decides otherwise.

"It will be suicidal on the part of NDC to dream of changing a presidential candidate in 2012 when his Excellency President Mills still has the intentions to run for the general elections", they said.

Alhaji Umar Issifu Alhassan, Regional Secretary of the party, was addressing a press conference organised by the Youth Wing of the NDC in Tamale on Tuesday to react to recent agitations and developments on the youth front of the party in Tamale.

He said: "We were not against the intentions of any qualified member of the party running against the sitting President" but cautioned them to do so with a sense of humility and with the party interest in mind.

On Monday two NDC youth groups organised separate press conferences in which the first group known as the Changli Youth of the NDC called for the removal of Mr. Insuah Fuseini, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, for lack of performance.

The second group known as the Gbomo Palace also bemoaned the leadership style of President Mills and said that if he was allowed to stand for the 2012 elections the party would be defeated miserably.

Mr. Adam Mohammed Aminu-Abio, Regional Youth Organiser, reacting to these developments said the NDC youth in the region, particularly those in Tamale were not being fair to the Government and there was therefore the need to set the records straight.

He said for example, one Seidu Abdul Karim who signed the statement on behalf of the Changli Youth for the removal of the MP for Tamale central has had not less than eight members of his household employed under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and that the MP had also on two occasions assisted him and therefore described his conduct as ungrateful.

Commenting on the Gbomo Palace groups assessment of President Mills's performance, Mr. Aminu-Abio said the group was alien to the party youth wing both at the constituency and regional youth secretariat and urged them to better appreciate the performance of President Mills's government and commend him for the good work done within a period of 18 months.

On issues raised by the NDC youth about employment, the Regional Youth Organiser said the party was addressing their concerns adding, between 2009-2010 farming season over eight thousand youth in the region had been engaged in the youth- in- agriculture programme while the youth in Afforestation also carted for over three thousand youth.

He said the NYEP had also supported over nine thousand youth in all the modules rolled out in the region.

Mr. Aminu-Abio blamed the recent youth agitations on the machinations of some disappointed national youth organiser aspirants who hop from one constituency to another inciting the youth against the party leadership and government and urged them to put a stop to it.

He also cautioned those who come into the region to hold secret meetings with youth groups without the consent of the party to desist from it as the youth wing would resist such activities, saying:" They should better do so in their regions rather than using Northern region as breeding ground for NDC's disunity".