Bagbin, Kumbuor Underfire

The Upper West Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Abdul Rahman, has predicted a clean sweep victory for the NPP in the region's parliamentary seats during the 2008 general elections. "We have tested the waters and are certain that our party (NPP) will take these seats. The Wa West, Wa Central, Sisala East, Sisala West, Lawra/Nandom, as well as those of the so-called 'untouchables', Bagbin and Kumbour, are all for the NPP come 2008," he stated in an interview with The Statesman at Wa.

According to him, the NPP has made a lot of inroads in the region through its policies and programmes, therefore, if there is any election in the region today, the party would receive no less than 60 percent of the popular votes and in 2008, the party will certainly take all the seats in the region.

“We are going to ensure that we get a marketable candidate for one year before the December 2008 elections, so that these candidates can get to every corner of their constituencies. This time we are not going wait till two months to the election date before we ask candidates to go round and campaign. We have put in place prudent strategies to ensure that we take all the seats in the region.

“Our people are now realising that the NPP party is the only political party that can develop them in freedom. People who were with the NDC are now with us; I mean influential political personalities in the region,” the NPP Chairman, who is popularly known as “Alhaji Short”, said.

Alhaji Rahman reiterated that the NDC has no chance this round in the region, because the people in the area had realised that the NDC has no good policies for them.

“They have really compared and contrasted the NDC and NPP regimes, and have realised the clear difference. The manifestation of the NPP’s good governance is all over the place for the people to see, our positive policies are not white elephants and the good people of this country can testify that.”

Already, over 500 NDC faithfuls in the Region, including former executives, polling agents and women leaders have publicly denounced and defected from the NDC to join the NPP, he told this paper.

Hafiz Bin Salih, Regional Youth Organiser of the party, told The Statesman that “The NDC is falling apart and it is unpopular among the youth in the region. We have taken over, the NPP has taken over from the NDC and there is no doubt about that. I can say without any fear of contradiction that the NPP is now the party with the biggest support base in this region.”

“As a party in government, we are able bring the government to the door steps of the people by translating good government policies such as the School Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance Scheme into tangible aspects of the people’s livelihoods. ”

In a related development, a presidential hopeful of the NDC, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu has confirmed the popularity of the NPP in the Upper West region, saying that, the NPP message has received positive response from the people in the region, especially the youth.

Alhaji Iddrisu was speaking at a rally in Wa to launch his campaign in the Upper West Region. The 2008 aspirant of the NDC told the gathering that the popularity of the NPP in the region could derail the NDC party's ambition of ever returning to the Castle in the December 2008 elections and urged executives of the party to strategise to change the current trend of events in the area.