Northern Regional Police Command Assures Ghanaians Of Adequate Security For Presidential Candidates

The Northern Regional Security Council says it has mapped out a comprehensive security strategy for all the Presidential candidates who will take part in the IEA's Presidential Debate scheduled for Tamale today. Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Northern Regional Minister, Moses Bukari Mabengba said supporters who will be following the candidates will also be protected. Four Presidential candidates of the PNC, CPP, NPP and NDC will outline their policies this evening at the IEA encounter in Tamale. President John Mahama of the NDC, NPP's Nana Akufo Addo, the CPP's Dr Abu Sakara and the PNC's Hassan Ayariga are scheduled to trade their viewpoints, plans and programmes. Today's event is the first in the series of debates for the 2012 elections organised for presidential candidates with representation in Parliament. First, the Spokesperson for CPP, Kwame Jantuah says the CPP is ready to face the nation. He said Dr Sakara is confident and will articulate the manifesto of the party as well as engage the other parties and the issues they bring on the table. The Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, John Boadu, says the flagbearer is familiar with the setting and the drill because he took part in 2008. He said the encounter is a done deal for the party as Nana Addo will articulately outline his vision for the country. An Aide to President Mahama, John Abdulai Jinapor says the President believes in multi-party democracy and is ready to answer questions from opponent presidential candidates. Mr Jinapor added that President Mahama will use the platform to outline his vision for the next four years. For his part, the PNC flagbearer, Hassan Ayariga said many people who matter do not listen to IEA debates because they are poor and cannot afford Radio or Television sets. He will therefore use the IEA platform to outline his vision and programme for the international community. Meanwhile, the Presidential candidate of the PNC, Hassan Ayariga, says he is prepared for today�s IEA Presidential debate. He said the debate will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to know which party understands the issues better and have the best policies and programmes to solving them. Speaking to Radio Ghana�s correspondent ahead of the debate in Tamale, Mr Ayariga said he is optimistic that at the end of the debate Ghanaians would have changed their minds and vote for the PNC. He said the grading by the African watch magazine giving him D+ has not in anyway affected him ahead of the debate. More than four hundred questions have been received by the IEA from various interest groups for the four Presidential Candidates who will feature in the debate at Tamale this evening. These questions will bother on all aspects of national development. The TUC says it expects the Presidential Candidates at the IEA debate in Tamale today to address issues of unemployment and employment generation. Other areas to look at include labour tracking statistics and a clear cut policy for the private sector to play its role in national development. The Research Fellow of the TUC, Kwabena Otoo told Radio Ghana that the debate is healthy engagements which will enable the electorate make an informed choice.