Vote massively to capture power from the NPP - Haruna

Tamale, Feb. 20, GNA - Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Member of Parliament for Tamale South on Tuesday appealed to the people of Tamale to vote massively for the NDC in the impending December elections to ensure that the party had a convincing victory to capture power from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He said the journey to the Castle was not an easy one, which needed to be "fought" holistically and with the needed determination and dynamism to disabuse the notion that the NDC was in disarray and could not come back to power.

Mr. Iddrisu made the appeal in Tamale after he handed over his nomination papers to the Tamale South Constituency office to seek re-election as Member of Parliament for the area. He said a future NDC government under Prof. Evans Atta Mills would listen to cries of Ghanaians and genuinely meet their needs and help reduce the high levels of poverty, disease and ignorance in the social fabric.

"I have gone round the whole country and there is more hope for the NDC. We have to work hard and remain vigilant in voting day to ensure that the elections are not rigged," he said.

Mr. Haruna said the NDC had the experience of being in power and in opposition and the lessons learnt in both would yield more positive results if Ghanaians gave them the mandate to re-rule the country. He claimed that the Tamale South was a "No go" area for the NPP saying, "If someone like a sitting Regional Minister refuses to contest elections there, shows the commitment of the people in the constituency for the NDC."

Mr. Haruna said the NPP would not be able to win more than one Parliamentary Seat in the Northern Region in December polls and that the journey embarked in 2004 would not be complete until the NPP was unseated.

He said an NDC government would also review the National Health Insurance Scheme and reduce the exemption age limit from 70 to 60 while all children under 18 years of age would be registered free of charge. He appealed to the constituents to renew his mandate and vote massively for Professor Mills to win the National elections to exert good governance to the people Ghana and advised them not to allow external forces to divide their ranks.

Mr. Mohammed Abdul-Aziz, Tamale South Assistant secretary of the party who received the papers assured the MP of their continued commitment and support for the party and would do everything to retain the seat with a wider margin.