Mr Mahami Salifu, a former Upper East Regional Minister in the Kufuor administration, on Thursday called on the rank and file of the party in the region to ignore propaganda machinery of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party that describes the New Patriotic Party as an Akan party.
He said the NPP had the most credible record of embracing every ethnic group in the country and tapping wide range knowledge of expertise from members and therefore would not reduce membership to only one ethnic group.
Mr Mahami told the GNA in an interview that �the description of the NPP as an Akan party is absurd, irrelevant and untrue because the party cuts across all ethnic persuasions and gives equal opportunities to members at all times and in all its endeavours�.
The former Regional Minister said the founding fathers of the party were not only Akans and that the foundation of the party was built on solid inter-ethnic persuasion without any prejudice to particular ethnic groups.
He said the labeling of the NPP as an Akan party especially by people of northern descent and most instructively from the NDC was a smear campaign to create false impression to northerners that the Akans in the NPP dictated the pace in the party.
�The party recognizes membership first, one�s contribution to sustaining the party especially in expertise and how such members can attract more people to embrace the party,� he said.
Mr Mahami said �I am a northerner with equal powers in the NPP and so are Akans and Gas and any other groups in the party�.
He congratulated the newly elected Regional Chairman of the party in the Upper East, Mr Adam Mahama, and other members of the Regional Executive, constituency and polling station executives for their tireless efforts in raising the fortunes of the party.
Mr Mahami appealed to them to work hard, especially at the constituency levels, to ensure that the party wins the 2016 elections hands down.
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