President Mahama: “ NDC is acceptable to all Ghanaians”

President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had over the years demonstrated hard work and development-oriented policies and therefore would not engage in things that could tarnish its image. He said: "In football, it is often the ill-prepared teams that cause trouble and stage walk outs anytime they are beaten, but we have become acceptable to the people and will therefore not stage any walk out in our lives." President Mahama stated this when he addressed the chiefs and people of the Greater Accra Region at the Trade Fair Centre, La, as part of his two-day 'Thank you tour' of the Region. The Greater Accra Regional tour is the last in the series to climax his nationwide tour to thank the people for their contribution towards the final funeral rites of late President John Evans Atta Mills, who died about six weeks ago. The two-day tour took the President and his entourage to Prampram, hometown of former first lady Ernestina Naadu Mills, Ashaiman, Nungua, Teshie where he addressed mini durbars. He climaxed the day's activities by addressing a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the region at the La Trade Fair Centre. President Mahama advised all NDC supporters and sympathizers to conduct their political campaigns devoid of insults as that could mar their reputation of peace, love and honesty they had demonstrated over the years. "I want to urge all NDC supporters to campaign with issues and ideas and not to resort to insults and personality attacks that can be detrimental to our forward march to win the 2012 general election in December." He said the late President Mills left the legacy of honesty, humility, patience and peace and urged NDC supporters not to engage in activities that could negate those values and attributes. President Mahama denounced political opponents for criticizing him for engaging in Regional 'Thank you tours' adding 'It does not show any respect to the people and elders of this country to go on radio or Television to thank people who had contributed tremendously to the funeral of a late President of this country." He said politics was not a dirty game as had been touted out there, but it was the people engaged that were dirty and called on all politicians to conduct themselves peacefully to erase that belief. President Mahama commended all political parties for suspending their campaigns and activities during the final funeral rites of late President Mills adding "Let us continue to be united by the death of late President Mills so that people will continue to see us as Ghanaians and not by our political parties." Nene Abraham Kabu Akuoku III, President of the Greater Accra Region House of Chiefs invited President Mahama to honour a meeting that the house had arranged to thrash out a few burning issues of the region. He appealed to all politicians to exhibit maturity and unity in their campaigns for the outside world to continue to see Ghana's democracy as a model on the African continent. President Mahama would continue the tour on Wednesday, September 12, and would visit some communities, interact with the business community and the fisher folk in the region.

GNA