Kufuor to name running mate today
Liquidation of BHC, Co-operative Bank - Assets yield 108b cedis
Confusion at parties' balloting
Kofi Wayo: I will resign from NPP if / NPP to create 750, 000 jobs in one year
Women's vote to force Kufuor's hand?
Amidu's choice is good for us - NPP
Amidu's revolutionary origins moved me - Atta Mills
GCB profits up 240% for first half 2000
Kufuor to name running mate today
The Daily Graphic reports that the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, will formally select his running mate for the December poll from a shortlist of three personalities today.
According to the paper, sources close to Mr. Kufuor, disclosing this to the paper, said the flagbearer was expected, on his return to the country on Monday night from the United States, to finalise consultations on his favoured candidate for the second slot to complete the party's presidential ticket.
The paper names Mr. Aliu Mahama, a Tamale-based contractor and Managing Director of Lidra Construction Company; Alhaji Mustapha Idris, Member of Parliament for Gukpelgu-Sabongida in Tamale and Dr Kweku Afriyie, third National Vice-Chairman of the party from the Sewfi Wiaso District in the Western Region as the potential candidates.
The Graphic says, its sources intimated that although Mr. Kufuor would, by now, have made a preference for one of the aspirants in the race, it would remain unofficial until he has formally informed and consulted with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party on the matter.
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Liquidation of BHC, Co-operative Bank - Assets yield 108b cedis
The Graphic writes in its front-page lead that the official liquidator of the Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC) Limited and the Ghana Co-operative Bank has so far realised 108 billion cedis from the assets of the two state banks which were liquidated seven months ago.
The substantial recoveries from the assets of the two banks represent 90 per cent of total estimated target, states the paper.
According to the story, while 93 billion cedis of the estimated 105 billion cedis has been realised from BHC assets, 15 billion cedis out of an estimated 17 billion cedis has been recovered from that of the Ghana Co-operative Bank.
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Confusion at parties' balloting
There was drama on Tuesday when leaders of the various political parties converged at the office of Electoral Commission (EC) to ballot for positions on the ballot papers of the December 7 general elections, reports the Ghanaian Times.
The front-page story says the emergence of two factions of the Democratic People's Party (DPP), at the commission's office, with each demanding the right to draw the ballot on behalf of the party, lead to the confusion and the heckling of an official from one faction.
The EC chairman, Mr. Kwadwo Afari-Djan is however reported to have managed to bring the situation under control.
The incident is said to have sparked off when two persons, each representing a DPP faction responded to Mr. Afari-Djan's invitation to pick the DPP's slot in the balloting.
Mr. I.K. Obeng of the T.N. Wardbrew faction was said to have been physically restrained from proceeding to the ballot box by some people while Theophilus Fifi took the chance to pick the slot for the Dan Markin group.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, of the UGM in the ensuing confusion is reported to have in an intervention, called on the EC to resolve the issue since there was the fear that the balloting that afternoon could end up in a courtroom.
In a related story, Times reports that the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) at the Tuesday's exercise picked the first slot on the ballot paper for the December elections with the NDC and the Egle Party following in that order.
Other parties in the order of placement were the CPP, the People's National Convention (PNC), the DPP, United Ghana Movement (UGM), the National Reform Party and the NPP.
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Kofi Wayo: I will resign from NPP if / NPP to create 750, 000 jobs in one year
The Evening News and the Free Press have stories splashed on their front-pages that say 'Nima boy' Kofi Wayo, has hinted that the NPP would create 750,000 jobs within its first year in office, failure of which he would resign from the party.
The 'business guru', who is contesting the Ayawaso East constituency seat on the ticket of the NPP is reported by the two papers as saying that the party has the men and resources to do that once elected into office.
At the introduction of Mr. Kwamena Bartels to the electorate at Kwashieman in the Ablekuma North constituency as the party's parliamentary candidate, Mr. Wayo said he joined the NPP on his own volition after carefully studying the political and economic landscape of the country.
"After careful observation, and talking to some of the people I realised that the people of the NPP are genuinely concerned about the welfare of the masses and so I made the decision to join them," he was quoted by the Evening News.
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Women's vote to force Kufuor's hand?
The Ghanaian Chronicle writes that after so much campaigning for gender considerations for high political office, none of the key parties that have selected their running mates picked a woman, and this situation has resurrected pressure on the NPP Presidential candidate to do so.
According to the Chronicle, speculation that Alhaji Muhammed Aliu, the respected Tamale-based contractor is close to getting the green light on Monday generated more debate and agitation.
Mr. Kufuor, it says, may have more options till Saturday when the NPP goes for its Congress at Ho where he is expected to name his running mate.
No woman's name is said to be among the party's likely choices although that of Madam Hawa Yakubu still lingered despite reports that she had set her sights on her Parliamentary seat.
The Chronicle says scores of articles have jammed its web site from individuals mostly living in America pushing the Hawa ticket.
In one such piece picked by the paper, Newton Ofosu, from North America, among other things, indicates he would like to congratulate Mr. J.A. Kufuor on his intention to nominate Madam Hawa Yakubu as running mate for the up-coming 2000 election, if the allegation was true.
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Amidu's choice is good for us - NPP
The Dispatch says reactions to the nomination of Mr. Martin Amidu as professor John Evans Atta Mills' running mate on the NDC's ticket have been varied, however, the main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seems pleased with his choice.
A leading member of the NPP and close associate of the flagbearer, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, and the top hierarchy, is reported to have told the paper that "the NDC's choice of Mr. Martin Amidu as running mate is very good for the NPP".
According to him, the likely choice of the NPP, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has advantages, which hitherto beat that of the NDC. "He is a Muslim and a Zongo boy; his father was the Sarkin Zongo of Yendi."
The Dispatch says its source admitted that the 1970 Aliens Compliance Order by the Progress Party (PP), haunted its successive parties during the 1979, 1992 and 1996 elections and alleged that the NDC mischievously exploited it in the '92 and '96 elections, implying that the NPP would repeat it if voted into power.
The Dispatch says its interviews with members in the NPP's top hierarchy, especially after the nomination of Mr. Amidu revealed that reactions since Alhaji Aliu's name came up have been positive.
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Amidu's revolutionary origins moved me - Atta Mills
The Vice-President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills has revealed that in settling on Mr. Martin Amidu as his running mate he took into consideration somebody with sufficient political experience and exposure, who would be a bridge between the PNDC and the NDC to give expression to his 'continuity in change', says the Ghana Palaver.
Prof. Mills, at a press conference to introduce his vice, Mr. Martin Amidu, explained that in searching for his number two man he looked for the person whose loyalty to the party, its history, its heritage origins and the revolutionary process was unquestionable.
The search, he said dwelt also on the suitability of the person to the various tendencies within the party.
He said, "given the polarisation that has been whipped up by speculations about my running mate, I needed a 'reconciler' who would not have been perceived as having identified with any of the factions supporting a particular undeclared candidates."
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GCB profits up 240% for first half 2000
The High Street Journal (HSJ) reports that Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), the country's largest commercial bank, has joined the ongoing gravy train in the banking sector, declaring huge gains in turnover and profits for the first six months of 2000. The bank's mid-year profit is said to be the best in the entire banking industry.
HSJ says GCB's Pre-tax profits for the period rose to 98.018 billion cedis, up an impressive 240 per cent over the 28.826 billion slightly during the corresponding period of 1999.
Profit after tax rose only shiftily less, with the 57.082 billion cedis declared up 193 per cent on the level made in the first half of 1999.
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