500 NPP supporters defect to PNC

Wa, Oct. 26, GNA - Over 500 youth from the Sokpayiri section of the Wa Municipality on Monday defected from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the People's National Convention (PNC).

They attributed their departure from the NPP to PNC to the tribalistic and religious behaviour of the leadership of the NPP at Wa and the alleged "forceful and undemocratic manner in which Mr Clement Eledi was kicked out of the parliamentary race for Wa Central." The Defectors, who announced their defection at a press conference at Sokpayiri, accused Alhaji Abudulai Issahaku, Regional NPP Chairman as being dictatorial.

A press release, which was signed and read by Mr Abubakari Kassim Adolf also described the leaders of NPP as a few "egocentric, ethnocentric and religious centred individuals, who had hijacked the entire configuration of a people to ransom."

They claimed that true democracy did not entail ethnicity and religious attachment but thrived on well-carved policies and programmes. The release accused the Regional Chairman of handpicking delegates to a conference at which Mr Eledi lost by 25 votes to 30 and wondered why their polling station was not given a representation.

Asked why they did not go to NDC or CPP, the leader of the group said they joined PNC because both NDC and NPP had tasted power and had proved incompetent hence their decision to join PNC.

Receiving the defectors, Dr. Edward N. Gyader, Regional Chairman of PNC, said people were running into their fold because of the party's good policies and principles.

"We do not preach ethnic and religious politics and will never allow those things to divide us."

Dr Gyader urged the people to see themselves as one people fighting common enemies - poverty, ignorance and illiteracy - and they should not to use their knowledge to threaten peace, stability and unity.

"We were all born into this world without any land and we shall also die without land and why should we be discriminating against one another."

Most of the youth decided to tear away from the NPP since Mr Eledi, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture lost the Wa Central primary last week.