President Mills: God will see NDC through

Accra, June 8, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Wednesday reaffirmed his belief in God to carry the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) successfully through the 2012 elections. Speaking to journalists after being vetted by the Party to contest the NDC flag bearer slot, he said: "With God holding the banner, we shall succeed."

President Mills stressed unity as the Party goes to Congress in Sunyan= i on July 8- July 10 to elect a flag bearer saying what was happening in the Party was not a fight.

The President, who was mobbed by Party faithful, said he was satisfied with the vetting process, adding that it was the NDC that would emerge victorious and not an individual.

The six-member committee of the Party vetted the two candidates who filed their nomination papers to contest the flag bearer slot. The first to appear on Tuesday was former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings with President Mills following on Wednesday. The vetting is the penultimate step on the Party's timetable before its National Delegates' Congress.

According to the Party's roadmap for the National Delegates' Congress, the final step is the release of the list of delegates on June 10. The vetting committee chaired by Alhaji Issifu Ali, former co-Chairman of the NDC, will examine the documents filed by the aspirants and examine their qualifications under the Party's constitution.

Other members of the Vetting Committee are Mr Lionel Mobila, former Upper East Regional Minister, Dr (Mrs) Mary Grant, a member of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council, Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, and Mr Chris Ackumey and Mr Larry Adjetey, both lawyers.

Under the rules of the NDC, each contestant shall be proposed by two persons and seconded by four persons who must be members of the executive at the branch, constituency, regional or national levels. A duly proposed contestant shall be endorsed by two members of the executive at any level of the Party from each of the 230 constituencies of the country. On the qualification of flag bearer aspirants the candidate must fulfil the qualification requirements as stated in Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution which deal with the qualifications to be president of Ghana.

In addition, the aspirant must be a member of a branch of the Party; be a known and active member of the body for not less than four years; shall not be a member of any other political party; and must accept the constitution, philosophy and policies of the NDC.

Others are that the aspirant must be an active and card bearing member of the Party with fully paid up membership dues; must not be facing any disciplinary action for breach of the Party's Disciplinary Code and constitution; and must not be a member of the executive committee at any level of the Party at the time of picking of nomination form.

There will be about 3,000 delegates at the Sunyani Congress.

The delegates would include the Founder of the Party, Leader of the Party and President of Ghana, Vice President, National Executive Committee Members, Ministers of State, Selected Regional Executives, Committee Members and Parliamentarians. The rest are Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives who are members of the party, foreign branch representatives, Council of Elders and representatives from the Tertiary Education Institution Network.