General News of Monday, 24 November 2008

Source: GNA

NDC won't accept dismissed members back to the party

Agona Swedru, Nov. 24, GNA - Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has reiterated that the party would not accept dismissed members contesting as independent candidates even if they enter parliament after December 7, 2008 polls. He noted that the party had learnt a bitter lesson in the past, where some members of the party, who entered parliament in 2004 as independent candidates never joined the party, but rather joined the ruling party.

Mr Nketia was speaking to the press on Saturday at Swedru. He mentioned some of people late Madam Hawa Yakubu, Alhaji Rashid Bawa and Abubakar Saddique Boniface, former members of NDC, who entered parliament as an independent candidates and refused to join NDC group in parliament.

The General Secretary further said gone were the days when the party constitution was not fully adhered to.

Mr Asiedu said the party would not rescind its decision on 12 of its members that had been dismissed for going independent in this year's elections.

He said the NDC's constitution would be respected in full and no single member would be spared when found guilty. He called on the electorates in the Agona West to vote for Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Presidential Candidate of NDC and Paapa Ibrahim Zubairu, Parliamentary Candidate for the area.

Mr Nketia said Prof Mills had been accepted by Ghanaians as a leader, who could solve the problems facing them and would win the election without a second round. He told members of the party not be complacent but rather worked hard to ensure victory. Mr Nketia urged members to bury their political differences and work as a team to enable them win more supporters for the party.