THE National delegates congress of the People’s National Convention (PNC) scheduled for Sunyani on Saturday, February 4, 2012 is under threat.
The leaders of the party in Ashanti, Greater Accra, Upper West ,Western and the Central regions have filed interlocutory injunction restraining the party from holding the congress.
The suit was filed in an Accra High Court by the five regional chairmen, Mr Thomas Akumyong, Ashanti; Mr Iddrisu Nuhu Saed, Upper West Deputy Chairman; Mr Yakubu Tahiru, Western Region; Alhajia Mohammed Abbas, Central Region and Mr Ebenezer Halm-Quartey, Greater Accra.
The defendants are Dr Edward Mahama, Leader of the party; Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, National Chairman; Mr Bernard Mornah, General Secretary and the Peoples National Convention.
In their affidavit in support of their claim, the plaintiff said the capacity of the three named defendants as executives of the Party was a subject of a suit Number BMISC 141/2012 which was currently pending at the High Court of Accra.
It added that there had not been any national executive meeting of the PNC to deliberate or discuss any issue regarding the said national congress, let alone approve same.
It claimed that the three named defendants were currently acting as the organisers of the impending national delegates’ congress, a role which was reserved for the national executive committee and also the conduct of three defendants amounted to a gross violation of the PNC constitution and a blatant disregard for rule of law and proper democratic practices as enshrined in the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
However, the General Secretary of the PNC, Mr Bernard Mornah had rubbished the claims by the chairmen, and said once a court of competent jurisdiction had cleared the way for the party to hold its congress nothing could stop it or hinder the progress of activities.
Mr Mornah said that the NEC would meet today to discuss other issues prior to the congress but indicated that arrangements had been completed on issues such as security and accreditation for delegates and guests including representatives of political parties and members of the diplomatic corps.
“All is set for an exciting congress that would ussher the PNC into an intense political campaign to win the 2012 elections and bring relief to the ordinary Ghanaian. There is no turning back, nothing can stop us now,” he said.
Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama will set a record as the only person to have contested the flag-bearer position of a party five times.
But Dr Mahama, a gynaecologist in private practice, faces stiff competition from Mr Hassan Ayariga.
Sixteen members of the party are also contesting for seven executive positions in the party.
According to the 40-year-old Mr Ayariga, the PNC needed fresh leadership with the zeal to succeed, particularly on the presidential slot, to halt the free fall of the party’s fortune from 7.8 per cent of votes in 1996 elections to less that one per cent in 2008.
He said not only had Dr Mahama failed in his position as leader of the PNC to put the party on a pedestal to ensure that it won political power to continue with Dr Limann’s unfinished business of making Ghana a better place.
But Dr Mahama insisted that he was not just the best person to lead the PNC but also the one to salvage Ghana from what he called visionless leaders who had failed to tap the rich human and natural resources of the country to provide the basic needs of the people.
According to Mr Mornah, the first part of the congress would be used for party activities, particularly the amendment of the PNC’s constitution, the general secretary’s report, among others, before the Electoral Commission (EC) would take over precedings to organise the election of a flag bearer and national executive members.
Those vying for the position of National Chairman are Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, the incumbent National Chairman; Dr Edward Gyader, the Upper West Regional Chairman for 1992, 1996 and 2000; Mr Thomas Akumyoung, the Ashanti Regional Chairman; Dr Somtim Tobiga, a former National Treasurer, and Mr David Nibi.
For the position of First National Chairman, Hajia Hajara Ali will be elected unopposed because she was the only aspirant at the close of nominations.
The sitting General Secretary, Mr Mornah, will be challenged by the Communications Director of the party, Mr Henry Haruna Asante, and the party’s Policy Analyst, Mr Atik Mohammed.
Those seeking the mandate of the congress to be the party’s National Organiser are Abubakar Ebla Kwashie, Mr Omar Ahmed Bekure and Mr Emmanuel Wilson.
Mr David Apasera, the Treasurer, who is seeking re-election, is being challenged by Mr Batsa Peter Teye, while Ms Elizabeth Amedekanyu and Janet Nabila are vying for the position of National Women’s Organiser.
Mr Abass Nuhu and Mr Colson Akanbasian will vie for the position of National Youth Organiser.
The party was billed to hold its congress in the latter part of last year but it was rescheduled as a result of a series of legal issues which were contested in courts against the locus of the current leadership to hold themselves as an executive and organise a congress.
However, on January 23, 2012, a major hurdle on its path was cleared when the Accra High Court dismissed a motion for interlocutory injunction seeking an order to restrain the PNC from organising its delegates congress.
According to the court, the applicants failed to provide independent evidence to substantiate allegations of fraud levelled against the defendants.
Friday, February 3, 2012
PPP Receives Interim Certificate
Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom's Progressive People's Party (PPP) has become the latest political party in the country.
This follows the receipt of its provisional certificate to organise itself into a fully-fledged political party.
With the interim certificate, the party will be able to organise itself and undertake other activities to meet the requirement of the Political Parties Law before receiving the final certificate as a political party.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at the party’s office after receiving the certificate, the National Secretary of the PPP, Mr Kofi Siaw-Asamoah, said with the provisional certificate, the PPP would be able to continue with its massive membership mobilisation drive.
A copy of the provisional certificate which was shown to this reporter was signed by a Deputy Chairman of the EC, Mr Kwadwo Safo-Kantanka.
It reads, “This is to certify that the Electoral Commission has presented the PPP with a provisional certificate of registration as a political party on this day, Thursday, 2nd February, 2012 in partial fulfilment of the Political Parties Act...."
Mr Siaw-Asamoah expressed excitement about the event and said members of the party were gingered to roll up their sleeves and embark on massive membership drive towards realising the vision of winning the 2012 elections as the third force on the Ghanaian political scene.
“We welcome the decision by the Electoral Commission to grant us the provisional certificate despite the difficult processes involved in party registration. We want to congratulate the Electoral Commission on the professionalism with which they have conducted their activities all these years,” he added.
He said as part of the national mobilisation of members, the party would open nominations for parliamentary aspirants from February 6, 2011 to February 29, 2012 .
Aspirants are to pay GHc100 for the nomination fee. Male aspirants above the age of 35 will pay a filing fee of GHc1000, while males below 35 years and females would pay GHc 500.
Mr Siaw-Asamoah asked the party executives in the various regions to ensure that they encourage more females to pick up nominations to attain the party’s 30 per cent quota for women, adding that this should be done possibly through “positive discrimination for women”.
He said the PPP considered the provisional certificate as an opportunity to organise properly and to demonstrate to Ghanaians that it was capable of fighting to move Ghana away from mediocrity, the culture of indiscipline, “the constant failure of leadership, the mismanagement of our natural resources and the gargantuan crimes perpetuated against the state”.
“We are ready to offer progressive and pragmatic leadership that focuses on education, job creation, industrialisation, housing and preventive diseases that will lead Ghana to prosperity in peace,” Mr Siaw-Asamoah added.
This follows the receipt of its provisional certificate to organise itself into a fully-fledged political party.
With the interim certificate, the party will be able to organise itself and undertake other activities to meet the requirement of the Political Parties Law before receiving the final certificate as a political party.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at the party’s office after receiving the certificate, the National Secretary of the PPP, Mr Kofi Siaw-Asamoah, said with the provisional certificate, the PPP would be able to continue with its massive membership mobilisation drive.
A copy of the provisional certificate which was shown to this reporter was signed by a Deputy Chairman of the EC, Mr Kwadwo Safo-Kantanka.
It reads, “This is to certify that the Electoral Commission has presented the PPP with a provisional certificate of registration as a political party on this day, Thursday, 2nd February, 2012 in partial fulfilment of the Political Parties Act...."
Mr Siaw-Asamoah expressed excitement about the event and said members of the party were gingered to roll up their sleeves and embark on massive membership drive towards realising the vision of winning the 2012 elections as the third force on the Ghanaian political scene.
“We welcome the decision by the Electoral Commission to grant us the provisional certificate despite the difficult processes involved in party registration. We want to congratulate the Electoral Commission on the professionalism with which they have conducted their activities all these years,” he added.
He said as part of the national mobilisation of members, the party would open nominations for parliamentary aspirants from February 6, 2011 to February 29, 2012 .
Aspirants are to pay GHc100 for the nomination fee. Male aspirants above the age of 35 will pay a filing fee of GHc1000, while males below 35 years and females would pay GHc 500.
Mr Siaw-Asamoah asked the party executives in the various regions to ensure that they encourage more females to pick up nominations to attain the party’s 30 per cent quota for women, adding that this should be done possibly through “positive discrimination for women”.
He said the PPP considered the provisional certificate as an opportunity to organise properly and to demonstrate to Ghanaians that it was capable of fighting to move Ghana away from mediocrity, the culture of indiscipline, “the constant failure of leadership, the mismanagement of our natural resources and the gargantuan crimes perpetuated against the state”.
“We are ready to offer progressive and pragmatic leadership that focuses on education, job creation, industrialisation, housing and preventive diseases that will lead Ghana to prosperity in peace,” Mr Siaw-Asamoah added.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Creation of more district, LI For the House of Feb 7
The Legislative Instrument (LI) for the creation of additional districts and municipalities will be laid before Parliament by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development on Tuesday, February 7, 2012.
The LI, which will mature 21 days after its presentation, will also provide the platform for the Electoral Commission (EC) to create more constituencies in the run-up to the December general election.
Already, President John Evans Atta Mills has signed the Executive Instrument for the creation 42 new districts, which has also been gazetted by the Attorney-General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the ministries of Local Government and Rural Development and Justice had also trashed out all issues with the Parliamentary Select committees on Subsidiary Legislation and Constitution and Local Government with regard to the LI.
He said by the LI, the government was also seeking to amend sections of Act 462, particularly Section (1) 4 (A) to ensure that the act legalised the existing reality created by the previous administration.
He explained that during President Kufuor’s administration, some municipalities were created with the view to accelerating development, even though their creation did not comply with the stipulated requirement that a municipality must be a single compact settlement.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo mentioned that some of the municipalities, such as Nzema East and Ga West, did not conform to the ‘single compact settlement’ requirement but were created to engender accelerated development.
He said the amendment, which would be placed before Parliament under a certificate of emergency, was seeking to take out the single compact settlement requirement to be able to create new municipalities which would also be consistent with existing law.
In a separate interview, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, said the commission would create new constituencies after the creation of new districts.
That, he said, was because the formula for creating additional constituencies included the number of existing districts, quotations for each region and other variables, adding that “the ideal thing is that the districts are created first before the creation of constituencies”.
On the question of the number of constituencies to be created, Dr Afari-Gyan said, “No one can tell you how many additional constituencies will be created until the districts are created.”
The Supreme Court is expected to give its judgement on February 15, 2012 in a case brought before it by two residents of Nungua, near Accra, that the EC and the Attorney-General should review the 230 constituencies.
They want the EC to alter the constituencies following the publication of the enumeration figures after the 2010 Population Census and in accordance with the egalitarian principle of fair representation embodied in the 1992 Constitution, especially Article 47(3) and (4) of the 1992 Constitution.
The LI, which will mature 21 days after its presentation, will also provide the platform for the Electoral Commission (EC) to create more constituencies in the run-up to the December general election.
Already, President John Evans Atta Mills has signed the Executive Instrument for the creation 42 new districts, which has also been gazetted by the Attorney-General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the ministries of Local Government and Rural Development and Justice had also trashed out all issues with the Parliamentary Select committees on Subsidiary Legislation and Constitution and Local Government with regard to the LI.
He said by the LI, the government was also seeking to amend sections of Act 462, particularly Section (1) 4 (A) to ensure that the act legalised the existing reality created by the previous administration.
He explained that during President Kufuor’s administration, some municipalities were created with the view to accelerating development, even though their creation did not comply with the stipulated requirement that a municipality must be a single compact settlement.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo mentioned that some of the municipalities, such as Nzema East and Ga West, did not conform to the ‘single compact settlement’ requirement but were created to engender accelerated development.
He said the amendment, which would be placed before Parliament under a certificate of emergency, was seeking to take out the single compact settlement requirement to be able to create new municipalities which would also be consistent with existing law.
In a separate interview, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, said the commission would create new constituencies after the creation of new districts.
That, he said, was because the formula for creating additional constituencies included the number of existing districts, quotations for each region and other variables, adding that “the ideal thing is that the districts are created first before the creation of constituencies”.
On the question of the number of constituencies to be created, Dr Afari-Gyan said, “No one can tell you how many additional constituencies will be created until the districts are created.”
The Supreme Court is expected to give its judgement on February 15, 2012 in a case brought before it by two residents of Nungua, near Accra, that the EC and the Attorney-General should review the 230 constituencies.
They want the EC to alter the constituencies following the publication of the enumeration figures after the 2010 Population Census and in accordance with the egalitarian principle of fair representation embodied in the 1992 Constitution, especially Article 47(3) and (4) of the 1992 Constitution.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)