NPP Deserves Second Term — Esseku

The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Harona Esseku, has called on Ghanaians to give the party a second term to enable it to continue to offer them good governance and rapid socio-economic development.

He said since the NPP took over the reins of government in January 2001, it had run an open and transparent administration devoid of threats, harassment, intimidation and victimisation that characterised the previous regime, which prevented people from openly expressing their views.

Mr Esseku said this in an interview after observing the Sunyani East Constituency NPP primary at Antwikrom, near Sunyani, on Tuesday during which the Senior Minister, Mr J.H. Mensah, defeated his challenger, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Presiding Member of the Sunyani Municipal Assembly.

He commended the delegates and party members in the Sunyani East Constituency for making the polls one of the most peaceful to be conducted in the country in recent times and urged other constituencies to emulate the shining example.Mr Esseku stressed that the primary had demonstrated that when it came to democracy, the NPP stood tall among its peers.

Mr Stephen Ayensu Ntim, the First National Vice-Chairman of the party, denied that the party imposed parliamentary candidates on constituencies and said the Sunyani East Constituency was a case in point where the party had allowed another parliamentary aspirant to challenge a political giant like Mr J.H. Mensah.He commended Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh for pledging his support to Mr Mensah.

Mr Ntim debunked the erroneous impression created by NPP opponents that the party's primaries were marred by disputes, adding that all primaries were bound to be full of discontent since some losers of elections always challenged the results.

He dismissed claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP was preparing to rig the general elections.Mr Ntim, however, predicted that the NDC would meet a contest of its life this year, as it would suffer a humiliating electoral defeat in December.