NDC Targets 135 Seats In 2004

Despite the six successive defeats in by-elections to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not had its ambition of winning the 2004 general elections waned a bit.

The party has targeted 135 seats in next year’s elections against NPP’s indication to sweep 140 out of the 200 parliamentary seats. As part of activities aimed at this bid the party is currently engaged in a massive restructuring and invigorating activities.

The flagbearer of the party, Prof. J.E.A Mills, is scheduled to tour all the ten regions of the country with that of the Central region, his home region, already completed.

The next will be the Volta region, where the party has been enjoying the greatest loyalty as far as voting is concerned. ''Chronicle'' learnt that the Volta campaign kicked off on June 7.

The National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr. Iddrisu Haruna disclosed the party’s objective in an exclusive interview with the Chronicle at the weekend.

Mr. Haruna says the target of 140 by NPP will be mathematically and logically impossible because come January, 2005, 135 out of the 200 Honourable members of the National Assembly are going to be NDC candidates.

Mr. Haruna noted that, having realized the dear price the party had to pay for the undemocratic manner with which its parliamentary candidates were chosen, the party will, therefore, go through a democratic process in the selection of its candidates who will contest for seats at the National Assembly.

''To ensure transparency and democracy, the party has opened nominations for parliamentary candidates in all the 200 constituencies from now till August 31, 2003. The party will, however, make sure that viable candidates are chosen in all the constituencies, at the end of the day,'' Haruna stressed.

The NDC, according to the youth organizer, has a plan to intensify its campaigns in its orphan constituencies as soon as possible.

He explained that the orphan constituencies are those that the party lost to the NPP in the 2000 elections and expressed the hope that the party will recapture all such seats in the next general elections.

The Ashanti region with the largest number of seats of 33, still remains the biggest opposition region to the umbrella party.

Mr. Haruna agrees to this fact but says that plans by his party are far advanced to win not less than 30% of the votes of the NPP dominated Ashanti region.

Brong Ahafo, Central, Western, Eastern and Greater Accra regions, will be areas that the NDC will have to engage the NPP in a fierce political battle for seats, the NDC kingpin admitted but maintained that his party is leaving no stone unturned to out do the NPP in these regions in the general elections.

Chronicle was further told that, the Prof. Mills – led party still nurses the feeling that the Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions are no-go areas for the NPP.

''But Mr. Organizer, your party has lost three by-elections in these areas so why consider the area as a no-go area for NPP?'' Chronicle questioned, to which Haruna answered, ''Yes, by-elections are totally different from national elections, so the NPP cannot win those seats in national elections,''.

Another revelation gathered from the chart was that the NDC is changing from the ''Demonstration for survival'' strategy of announcing the party’s vibrancy to massive political rallies in selected regions.