A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Tony Aidoo has charged the rank and file of the party to remain focused and stand firm during next year's general election to “prevent the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) from rigging the elections to perpetuate their stay in power.”

He alleged that the results of the 2004 elections did not reflect the true picture on the ground and attributed the situation partly to the lack of vigilance on the part of some polling agents during the elections.

Dr Aidoo claimed that this time round, the NPP was planning to use the ROPAA as a means to rig the forthcoming elections and cautioned that, "the ROPAA would not fly; it would be over our dead body that the ROPAA would fly".

He was speaking at a forum that formed part of the 28th anniversary celebration of the June 4 1979 uprising in Tamale at the weekend.

It was organised by a youth group of the NDC in Tamale known as "64 Bench”. A large number of party supporters and cadres attended the forum at the GNAT Hall.

Also present were some Members of Parliament, regional executive of the NDC, former district chief executives and ministers of state of the erstwhile PNDC/NDC government.

Dr Aidoo lambasted the ruling government for practicing nepotism and promoting tribalism in the appointment of public officers since it assumed power in 2000.

He further accused the NPP of practising selective justice and persecuting its political opponents.

Dr Aidoo quoted a statement purported to have been made by the former Senior Minister, Mr J.H. Mensah, soon after the NPP came to power to the effect that, "by the time we finish persecuting you, the NDC would be no more."

He traced the history of political violence in the country to the Danquah-Busia tradition and described the then leadership of the tradition as terrorists and wondered "why do you have to honour such terrorists?" by raising monumental statues for J.B. Danquah and Obetsebi Lamptey in Accra.

"All atrocities seen in this country cannot equal those meted out to innocent people by members of the Danquah-Busia tradition," Dr Aidoo further intimated.

He described the June 4 event itself as an uprising against corruption, injustice and inhumanity and not a revolution.

According to him, "June 4 swept away the filth and 31st December came to rebuild.”

Credit: Daily Graphic