Don't address issues through violence - Regional Chairman tells NPP

Kumasi, June 7, GNA - Mr Frederick Fredua Anto, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has told activists and supporters of the Party not to resort to violence to solve misunderstanding when they arise, since it was in violation of the Party's constitution and principles.

He made it clear that the Party had its own mechanism of addressing issues and conflicts and as such, supporters and members should let their conduct conform to the Party's Constitution and principles.

Mr Anto, who was addressing the newly created Kwadaso Constituency Congress at Kwadaso in Kumasi to elect Constituency Executives, condemned recent happenings in the Party in the Kumasi Metropolis between some Party Executives and members and urged them to unite and concentrate on mapping out strategies for retaining power at Election 2004.

Mr Anto said the Party's projection that it would win 96 per cent of the votes in Ashanti was based on previous years performance and statistics where for instance the Party got 80 per cent of the popular vote in the 2000 elections.

Dr Richard Anane, Minister of Roads and Transport and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama, urged the Executives to work hard to retain the Party in power and, therefore, asked them to desist from acts that could divide them.

Mr Ebenezer Owusu Bempah was elected the Constituency Chairman after polling 34 votes to beat his challenger, Mr Yaw Barima, who had 25 votes and Mr Akwasi Owusu polled 33 votes to beat Mr Owusu Boateng, who had 23 votes, to become the organiser.

Mr Addai Yeboah, Kofi Karikari, Augustina Nyarko, Paul Ennin, Agya Osei Mensah, Dominic Oppong and Owusu Ansah were elected unopposed as Treasurer, Youth Organiser; Women's Organiser; Secretary, First Vice-Chairman and Assistant Secretary in that order.

Some aggrieved members of the Party in the constituency had earlier, held up the congress for well over five hours insisting that the petition they sent to the Regional Chairman of the Party to call off the congress should be adhered to and that they would cause commotion if their demand was not met.

Following the threat, the venue for the congress had to be moved from Hotel La Sab at Agric Junction to White Orange Hotel at Kwadaso amid tight security.

In the petition signed by one J. Osei Kwame, Spokesman for the aggrieved members, they claimed that, the compilation of the polling station executive photo album, which was used to conduct the constituency elections lacked transparency.

The petition claimed that the names of some polling station executive were missing from the photo album as they had been replaced with other names.

They, therefore, called for the suspension of the congress until the names of some five members of a polling station executive were released to them for scrutiny.

However, the demand of the petitioners was ignored as the congress was held and the elections conducted.

Mr Owusu-Bempah, the newly elected Constituency Chairman, expressed his appreciation to the participants for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to work hard to bring all the aggrieved members back into the fold of the Party.

He cautioned the members not to be induced or coerced by anybody to pursue an agenda that had the tendency of dividing the Party.