75 parliamentary aspirants for Northern Region is proof of

Better Ghana Agenda- NDC northern scribe

The NDC Northern Regional scribe says the big number of parliamentary aspirants the region has recorded is an indication of the Better Ghana Agenda promised by President Mills' administration. As many as 75 persons have picked nomination forms to contest the January 21, 2012 parliamentary primaries. This has therefore led to some uncouth means of campaigning as some aspiring candidates and their fanatics have already involved themselves in verbal attacks and backbiting as a means of canvassing votes from delegates. However, Alhaji Umar, the NDC Regional Secretary, in an interview with Xfm 95.1 said the high number of aspirants indicates the strength the party possesses in the Northern region. ³The party is so strong in the region and many people believe that if they become our candidate, they are likely to win the election; that accounts for the mad rush. They believe that if they run on the ticket of the NDC they are likely to chalk victory in the upcoming elections² he said. It is feared that aspirants who do not emerge victorious might attempt running independent but Alhaji Umar dispelled these fears emphasizing the party leaders' readiness to appease the defeated aspirants to maintain unity within the party.

³We are going about the process fairly and transparently. So at any given time nobody can have the justification to do anything nasty² he said, adding, ?if you are going to lose you are going to lose fairly since it will be clear to the aspirants after elections have been held².

³We do not anticipate any confusion after the campaign² he sounded confidently, even though he conceded that some aspirants are ³hitting below the belts².

Story by Dennis Lawson/ Xfm 95.1/ Accra/ Ghana