Bole/Bamboi Polling Station Executives want reopening of nomination

Bole, (N/R), Feb. 10, GNA - Sixty-seven polling station executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bole/Bamboi Constituency have deplored the slow response to their stand against the sole candidature of Madam Elizabeth Salamatu Forgor, who was aspiring to run on the party's ticket.

At press conference at Bole on Friday, the executives explained that because Madam Forgor, the former District Chief Executive had been sacked from office, her image had been tarnished among the supporters who now considered her as not a credible and marketable candidate to win the seat for the NPP. The executive perceived that she had been disqualified technically as she had been sacked from her post. They called on the national executives of the party not to hesitate to re-open nominations for parliamentary candidates to elect a marketable candidate to start working for victory in the 2008 elections. The executive alleged that Madam Forgor's sole candidature had a lot of downward trends in the constituency and accused her of having sowed seeds of discord among the rank and file of the party faithful during her tenure of office.

The executives said they carried out a survey in search of a credible candidate for the NPP and found out that Madam Forgor was trailing behind two others, which was an indication that she was not a good material for the party. "As polling station executives, we will not sit down unconcerned to become victims of our own failures. We have the spirit of 'we can do it' but we can only do this with the support of the national executives to look for a credible candidate", they said.

The executives said they had been preparing vigorously to intensify their campaign to enhance the party's prospect on election victory in the 2008 general election. Madam Forgor when contacted on telephone said her removal from office, as District Chief Executive has nothing to do with her image. She said her removal had not been the first time governments had dismissed appointees from office and made them to stand as parliamentary candidates for their constituencies. "Whether I am credible or not, whether I have sowed seeds of discords or not and whether I have failed to establish rapport among supporters or not, it is left to the national executives to decide who I am", she said.

"Indeed I have worked for the growth and welfare of the party during my tenure of office and I am sure to win the seat for the party come 2008 elections" she added. Madam Forgor advised all those who had been agitating for her disqualification and fomenting trouble in the constituency to rescind their decision and work for the good of the party. She said such mischievous tendencies would not help the party to grow, saying "after all, I was not a Member of Parliament but the government appointed me as a District Chief Executive and so it could be any of them".

Meanwhile, a leading member of the party, Mr Yakubu Mahama in an interview with the GNA said people in the constituency loved the party but expressed regret that the absence of a credible candidate would deny the party the opportunity of wresting power from the NDC in the 2008 election.

Mr Mahama Bakari, Chairman of the Polling Station Executives, appealed to the national executives of the NPP to re-open nomination for people to contest the parliamentary seat. He said the executives would advice themselves if no concern was paid to their request, pointing out that any delay in re-opening nomination would affect the chances of the party winning the seat. Mr Abdallah Ibrahim, Youth Secretary of the Nyimange Electoral Area, called for the dismissal of all the executives in the constituency and new members appointed to run the affairs of the party. He said there had been divisions in the party and the executives had been manipulating the system for money and not for the interest of the party.

He said since the 2004 elections, the executives had never held a meeting to discuss the welfare of the party or map out strategies to win the seat, all that they did was to mastermind the candidates who were interested in contesting the parliamentary seat for money. Mr Ibrahim said: "Something must be done now; otherwise the party will have no chance of winning the seat. Let us put all the executives to elections and get credible ones to turn the fortunes of the party before the general election". 10 Feb. 08