NPP Andani Youth in Changli, a suburb of Tamale have vowed to fight against what they term as discrimination and segregation against supporters of the party who are Andanis. They said, the NPP party has been hijacked by the Abudus with exclusivist mentality to the detriment of Andanis and party unity in the Northern region – a situation they believe is negatively affecting the electoral chances of the party especially in the region. The group has therefore threatened to stage a massive protest against the party and the 2012 presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo to register their displeasure about the discrimination against members of the party who are Andanis. The 2012 Presidential Candidate of NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo is due to visit the Northern Region on Sunday as part his nationwide “All hands on deck tour”, but the group says it will the NPP flag-bearer with red armbands. The youth calling themselves Borimag NPP Youth, at a press conference in Tamale, said unlike the NDC party where Abudus hold keys positions, Andanis in the NPP were treated as worthless and nonentities, saying the trend had deepened at all levels of the party’s structure in the region. The Andani NPP Borimag Youth warns that if the ‘Only Abudus NPP’ trend in the party continues then the party will never win any parliamentary seat in the Tamale Metropolis because the Andanis outnumber the Abudus in Tamale. They said, in the 2000 elections Andanis voted massively for NPP to come to power till 2002 when the unfortunate incident happened in Yendi and that that notwithstanding they had continued to support and vote for the NPP. The Chairman of the Borimag NPP Youth, Fuseini Zimblim Japuni reiterated the need for all inclusiveness among supporters of the party in the region to galvanize and energies the party towards winning more seats for the NPP in the 2012 elections. He charged that, only the Abudus cannot win a seat in Tamale without the populated Andanis, adding that, the NPP party is a national in character were anybody irrespective of their background can join and play active role. Mr Fuseini disclosed that, many Andanis youth in the party have left the party while others remain inactive towards the party’s organization because of the attitude of the some NPP members towards Andanis. The group claimed that, since 1992 Andanis in the party have contested for several positions in the party but were gagged and discriminated against by the party’s leadership in the region. The group chair therefore called on the party hierarchy to treat Andanis in the party with respect and offered equal opportunities. Credit: Lansah Hamza/Tamale/Ghana