All set for NPP Congress on December 22

Accra, Dec. 19, GNA -Mr Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Wednesday said the delegates congress scheduled for December 22 to elect a presidential flag bearer would pass off peacefully without any incidence.

Speaking at a press conference on preparations towards the congress, Mr Manu said the efforts made by the National executives to ensure a fair and transparent process to provide a level playing field for all aspirants had paid off with all aspirants expressing satisfaction with the process.

"So far, we have not failed either ourselves or our Ghanaian compatriots in the preparations for the congress; no aspirant has had occasion to complain about a single move that we have made," he said. Over 3,000 delegates, made up of 2,300 elected from the constituencies, will converge at the University of Ghana to elect a candidate from the 17 aspirants as a flag bearer to contest the general elections in 2008.

Mr Manu said the list and pictures of delegates chosen from the various constituencies had been made available on DVD and distributed to the Electoral Commission and all the aspirants. While these preparations were in progress, he said, the party also set up a liaison mechanism, which brought all the aspirants or their representatives together every week to meet with the election committee and members of the steering committee of the party.

"These measures have been taken to ensure that, at the end of the exercise, every contestant will be satisfied that he had won or lost fairly and therefore have no reason not to accept the result," he said. In line with these developments, Mr Manu said the party was confident that there would be no rift after the elections. "Our confidence is based on the fact that we believe in the intelligence of our candidates and trust in their integrity and we know ourselves that we can conduct such a complex exercise without giving anybody reason to complain." Mr Manu said all the logistics required for a successful congress were in place and transportation had been made available for all delegates to arrive in Accra on time and in comfort.