Offinso PNC pledges support for Mills

SOME leaders of the People’s National Convention (PNC) in the Offinso South constituency of Ashanti, have dissociated themselves from the call of the leadership of the party in the region on all members of the party to vote en mass for Mr J. A. Kufuor, the NPP presidential candidate.

Accordingly, they have decided to join the NDC and canvass for Professor J. E. Atta Mills, the party’s presidential candidate in the presidential run-off.

This was contained in a statement issued at Samproso near Offinso and made available to the Graphic.

The statement said: “We of the PNC in the Offinso South constituency of the Ashanti Region, especially Ashahadu Ahmed of Abofour and Sulemana Yahaya of Samproso, were party leaders of the PNC in our respective communities before and during the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2000.

“However, after the elections, party executives gathered and informed us about leadership intention to throw its weight behind the NPP in the December 28 presidential run-off. This does not go well with us”.

Accordingly, “we have therefore decided to join and canvass for the NDC”.

The statement, signed by Sulemana Yahaya, said by this decision, they have pledged to do a house to house campaign to win votes from the rank and file of most of the northern brothers who are already in the NPP camp.

Sulemana and his colleagues, therefore, appealed to all NDC members the country over to merge their efforts for a resounding victory for Prof. Mills in the presidential run-off.

The statement noted that the Offinso South members of the PNC believe that the gains of the NDC can be solidified if Prof. Mills is voted as President so as to enable him create more opportunities for the total development of the country.

In a related development, Malam Banyan, also from Offinso, has urged Fantes to vote massively for Prof. Mills and honour him as one of them.

He said a critical analysis of the December 7 elections indicated that Ashantis gave their overwhelming support for their idol, Mr J. A. Kufuor.

The Ewes also demonstrated the same solidarity for the NDC.

Malam Banyan expressed concern, however, that Fantes did not show the same solidarity to their kith and kin, Prof. Mills.

He reminded Fantes of the saying that a brother is still a brother, no matter how bad he may be and that “the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know”.