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Regional News of Thursday, 23 January 2003

Source: chronicle

Disillusioned NDC supporters flirt with NPP

Somanya-Yilo Krobo (eASTERN rEGION) -- The New Patriotic Party (NPP) may defeat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Yilo Krobo constituency come 2004.

This is because top NDC gurus who have been securing the party in the area as far as elections are concerned have indicated their intention to defect to the NPP, which is their biggest opponent.

These became evident when this reporter conducted a follow-up investigation after receiving reports that the NDC supporters had started flirting with their colleagues in the NPP.

The leader of the NDC group, (name withheld) confirmed the report as true when this reporter disguised himself and quizzed him of his group’s intention to defect to the NPP.

The NDC party supporters mentioned intimidation, lack of internal democracy, loss of proper direction and imposition of ideas in the party as their reasons for the possible defection to the NPP.

At a point, he asked this reporter, “if you have suffered false detention for several years but choose to support the government of the same people who mishandled all your life and you are still being intimidated in the party, what do would you do?”

Chronicle gathered that these NDC party gurus were the party’s foot soldiers from the Armed Forces Revolution Council (AFRC) and the NDC who have made things very difficult for the NPP in the area.

The damage they may cause to the NDC in the area is that they will move their other supporters who reportedly are over 4,000 to the NPP, convince the undecided and the youth to vote for the NPP, come 2004, Chronicle learnt.

The paper’s unimpeachable source in the Yilo Krobo area also hinted that panic had gripped the NDC executives, following the latest development in the party, as they keep on meeting to ensure that they prevent them from leaving.

The source again said for the NPP to take the seat from the NDC, the constituency executives of the NPP are doing all that they could in terms of lobbying to pull the would be defectors to their side.

Meanwhile, some members of the NPP in the constituency have warned that the party should be careful not to bring people to cause disunity in the party.