Mahama Ayariga, a member of the Prof. Atta Mills campaign team, has fiercely rebutted media report that the National Democratic Congress (NDC's) flag-bearer is engaging in tribal politics. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, he said the allegation is one of the tactics being adopted by the “jittery” New Patriotic Party to create non-existent situation to divert public attention. He said the NDC is making significant inroads in their campaign that is “why our opponents are getting jittery and they are trying to throw mud and all sorts of things at us…but we would not be distracted.” The NDC’s presidential candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, was reported by the Statesman newspaper to have said: "Because there is no sea in the Ashanti Region, President Kufuor does not see the need to pay attention to the plight of fishermen….” But Mr. Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, said Prof. Atta Mills only enumerated to the fisher folks at Mumford and Dego some unfulfilled promises made to them by President Kufuor and assured them that his government would invest in the fishing industry to make them more viable. “I do not see how this amounts to playing the ethnic card, because it is not only Fantes who live at the coast and are engaging in the fishing industry, there are Gas who live by the coast and are engaging in the fishing industry, there are Ewes who live near the sea and are engaging in the fishing industry; and so how does his reference to the fishing industry amounts to playing the ethnic cards? It is just an attempt by the NPP to create an impression that doesn’t exist, Prof. Mills has been campaigning and he never plays the ethnic cards.” Mahama Ayariga accused the NPP of “struggling very hard to find issues and to tie it to ethnicity and the playing of ethnic cards”. He also told Joy News Akwasi Sarpong that Prof. Mills is not making vague promises to the people of the Central Region; instead he said the flag-bearer assessed the situation and only promised them on specific things he can do for them. He was confident the NDC would drastically improve its fortunes in the region and said any credible scientific research in the region would attest to an “overwhelming win for the NDC”. Story by Isaac Essel