Political Violence@North: PNC Flagbearer expresses concern

Yendi, Sept. 3, GNA- Dr Edward Nasigrie Mahama Flag bearer of the People's National Convention (PNC) on Wednesday called on northerners to resist attempts by political opportunist to use the three northern regions as bedrock for political violence.

"We must not allow disgruntle politicians to use the region for their selfish gains, divided we fall, united we stand... irrespective of our political affiliation, we must avoid the violent confrontation," Dr. Mahama stated at Yendi as part of a tour of the Northern Region.

The PNC Flag bearer also expressed concern about the recent political conflicts in some part of the Northern Region involving supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) leading to deaths and destructions of properties worth millions of cedis.

He called on the electorate to reject violent political parties and vote for people and parties that have demonstrated in speech and deeds their commitment to peace, adding, "consider PNC, which knows the problem of the three northern regions and can bring peace and unity to the area and Ghana as a whole."

As part of the tour of the region, Dr. Mahama introduced PNC aspiring parliamentary candidates to the electorate and urged them to vote massively for him for the presidency and all its parliamentary candidates. He stated; "Ghana is bigger than any political party present or in the past, as governments would come; the Convention People's Party led by Dr Kwame Nkrumah; others followed until the birth of the fourth republic."

Under the fourth republic, NDC under former President Jerry John Rawlings ruled for eight mandatory years and handed over power to NPP under President John Agyekum Kufuor, for the past eight years.

"Its time for the NPP to also gracefully hand over power to another political party...now its leaders are weary, they must sit back for fresh and energetic personality to lead the country. "Inciting people to fight would not help the country, we have an international image to protect...lets therefore reject violent political parties," Dr Mahama stated.

He said what happened in Tamale and Gushiegu recently is uncalled for and will not help in development...."Modern Ghanaian politicking have no room for fistic politicking, we must exhibit our strength through ideas that would help eradicate poverty and accelerate development."

He stated that the general feeling of hopeless about the national economic and social conditions that started during the previous 18 years PNDC/NDC, eight years of NPP administration was the cause of rapid increase in migration to seek better economic and social opportunities, which did not exist.

Touching on discipline and security at the workplace, the flag bearer indicated that a PNC administration would ensure that the country achieved its objectives by creating the environment for everybody to work and also by injecting into the civil and public services higher levels of transparency, probity, accountability and value for the taxpayer.

He said PNC administration will not entertain lazy workers and will monitor workers at all work places to ensure discipline and hard work. He said PNC would create more employment opportunities for the 70% of the work force, which are not employed with increased number being those who have completed their secondary and third cycle formal education. Dr. Mahama stated that PNC believes that education is a birthright and the nation is obligated to ensure that citizens attain the highest-level relevant education that their aptitude and talents could attain.

He said NPP is spending more resources on spraying and managing cocoa farms forgetting other cash crops like shea butter trees rice among others.

Dr. Mahama said when PNC is voted to power he will support for the production of cash crops cotton, cashew, sheanuts, rice, oranges, groundnuts among others to boost local processing and manufacturing plants for increased export earnings. In his welcoming address, the constituency chairman of the party Mr Ibrahim Adam thanked the people of the constituency for waiting many hours to listen to the flagbearer. He assured them that PNC will win the election come December Polls. He mentioned the parliamentary candidate for the party to contest in the constituency as Alhaji Umar Salifu who had travelled to the south and was not present to be introduced. The regional chairman of the party, Mr. Zakaria Alhassan appealed to the youth to let peace prevail during the December elections and should not allow politics to drag Dagombas into conflict. He said PNC is a peace loving political party and will ensure peace and unity in Ghana when given the mandate to rule the country.