Vote according to your conscience - JJ

Koforidua (Eastern Region) -- The founding father of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Former President John Jerry Rawlings, has advised delegates to the 21 December congress of the party to vote according to their conscience and the dictates and not to allow financial rewards to decide their votes.

He said as a party, there was the need for it to protect its assets and that the country had reached a stage where it needs fearless and courageous people to lead the country.

Mr Rawlings was speaking at a meeting with delegates from 26 constituencies in the Eastern Region at Koforidua on Wednesday.

He observed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) could not cause any damage to the NDC, adding that rather, it was the internal contradictions of the party that could cause major damage to it.

Mr Rawlings maintained he would not observe things going wrong in the party and sit down and watch only to be blamed later for inaction and warned that if they do not listen, then they should not blame him in future when things go wrong.

According to him, "NPP told the people of Ghana lies to win the elections, used their press manipulations to impose people on us and now want to use same lies again to decide for us who our Presidential Candidate should be. We cannot sit down for a third lie".

Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, National Vice-Chairman of the party said the December Congress of the party is very crucial and would decide if the party could take its rightful place in the country's politics and give hope and freedom to the ordinary people.

He said the decision of the congress would decide whether the ruling NPP would stay in power for another term. Ms Frances Asiam, National Women Organiser of the party said contrary to an earlier agreement that members of the national executive would not openly campaign for any of the presidential aspirants, it has become clear that funds that should have come to the party was being channelled into the campaign of only one aspirant.

She said this had made some of them to also openly come out to campaign in their individual capacity for the candidate of their choice. Dr Ben Kumbour, Member of Parliament for Lawra/Nandom, said delegates would be under no obligation to declare their status in the party and the candidate they support to officials of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI).

He said the party intercepted intelligence reports indicating that personnel of the BNI were going round some regions to force some members of the party to declare if they were delegates to the congress or not.

Dr Kumbour said the NDC is a legitimate party in the country and all its activities conform to the laws of the country and therefore does not need the assistance of the BNI to conduct its activities.

Earlier in a welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Fred Ohene-Kena said the youth and the rank and file of the party were all routing for Professor Atta Mills to be the presidential candidate of the party and therefore, urged the delegates from the region to vote for him to fulfil the aspirations of the party.