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President John Mahama�s claim of not being interested in tribal politics seems not to be shared by members of his party, as some of them, especially in the Upper East Region, are engaging in tribal politics to benefit him. Before President Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) decided to attack the new Patriotic Party (NPP�s) free SHS policy at every gathering, the NDC had persistently said that the NPP was engaging in tribal politics, which the NDC had said was dangerous for national unity. Recently at the campaign launch of the Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo, at Navrongo, the Deputy Education Minister, Mahama Ayariga, in his attempt to whip up interest and support for the NDC, told party supporters at the Navrongo town park that for the first time, a presidential candidate- John Mahama- was from the north; therefore, he (Mahama) deserved the votes of all northerners. He stated, �If you have been voting with the thumb print in the past elections, in this election, in addition to your thumb print, add your toes, because since 1992 we in the northern part of this country are having the opportunity for the first time either in the NPP or NDC to have our brother being the presidential candidate.� It would be recalled the People�s National Convention (PNC) presented Dr. Edward Mahama, on more than two occasions, as its presidential candidate and yet northerners in the NDC including Mr Ayariga did not see the need to vote for their northern brother to represent the people of the North. Mr. Ayariga failed to realize that the PNC currently had a northerner, Hassan Ayariga, as well as the Convention People�s Party�s Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster, as presidential candidates and also needed to be supported. Some listeners of Word FM in Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East Constituency who called in to the morning show yesterday to talk about the issue said Mr. Ayariga�s call for all northerners to vote for a northerner was not for a patriotic purpose; therefore northerners should not take him serious. �If he genuinely thought that a northerner has to be a president to bring development to the north, why did not he ask northerners to support Dr. Edward Mahama at a time he contested for the presidential position more than twice,� one of them said. Mr Ayariga, according to another caller, spoke as though the NDC would have given the flagbearership of the party to President John Daramani Mahama on a silver platter if Prof. Atta Mills had not died at the last minute. �Alhaji Aliu Mahama was the vice president for eight years. When John Agyekum Kufuor�s term ended, the NPP did not deem it fit that Aliu Mahama, having serviced as the vice president for eight years, had learned enough to be able to become a president. Under NDC, President Mills served as vice president for only four years and yet the NDC felt that after Jerry John Rawlings, he had learned enough to become a president and therefore we made him our candidate. Under NDC, John Mahama served for three-and-a-half years and as president for a few months, we think that he has learned more than enough to become a good president. That is why we must all vote for John Mahama,� Mahama Ayariga had said. The last time the NDC had a Member of Parliamentary for Navrongo Central was in 1996: That seat has since been occupied by the NPP. Currently, Joseph Kofi Adda, a former Minister of Energy under President Kufuor, is the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Navrongo Central Constituency. He told DAILY GUIDE and some other media houses in the Upper East Region that his commitment to the welfare of the people, coupled with the performance of the NPP in the area during President Kufuor�s tenure, would make the people to vote for him. According to him, all the developmental projects that were brought to the area, through his efforts or directly through the then government, were for the people.